


Forever And Always

by jacaranda_bloom



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Banter, Blood Drinking, Bottom Louis, Camping, Explicit Sexual Content, Fantasy, Fluff, Harry is also an excellent wingman, Human Niall, M/M, Masturbation, Narry bromance, Niall is an excellent wingman, Nipple Play, OT5, Smut, Spells and Potions, Stargazing, Strangers to Lovers, Top Harry, Vampire Bites, Vampire Harry, Vampire Shawn, Vampire Zayn, Vampires, Witches, Yelk Liam, Yelk Louis, Yelks, body swapping, handjobs, side Ziam, side shiall, waterfalls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 17:23:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20933927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacaranda_bloom/pseuds/jacaranda_bloom
Summary: “Right,” Harry says and slaps his hands down on the kitchen benchtop. Now he just has to get home, find this poor Niall guy who is currently camped out in his body, and have them swapped back. What could possibly go wrong?OR the one where Harry’s neighbour is a crotchety old witch who hates vampires, Niall is the unsuspecting human who ends up inhabiting Harry’s body, and Louis is the caseworker who is assigned to swap them back. How it ends up a love story is anyone’s guess.





	1. The Shimmer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [louistomlinsons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/louistomlinsons/gifts).

> Prompt: Body Swapping AU. One of the characters is a vampire. A witch casts a curse on them that has them waking up in a normal human's body. Cut to them finding the person in their body and trying to figure out how to switch back. Props if the human had no idea about the existence of vampires before this.
> 
> Hi and welcome to my little ridiculous story. I absolutely loved this prompt, so thank you, Kirstin. I really hope I’ve done it justice and this fic is what you had imagined!
> 
> Artwork by the amazingly talented artbydannyl - you can see more of their wonderful work on [ Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/artbydannyl/)!
> 
> To my brilliant and encouraging cheerleaders/beta’s [ Rebecca ](https://runaway-train-works.tumblr.com/), [ Nicola ](https://missytearex.tumblr.com/) and [ Emma ](https://justsomelarryfics.tumblr.com/) \- you’re all amazing and I love you very much.
> 
> Don’t forget to check out the other works from this exchange - they’re all brilliant!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [ jacaranda-bloom ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/) and if you’d like to reblog my [ Tumblr fic post ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/post/188346914043/forever-and-always-by-jacaranda-bloom-written-as) that would be lovely!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome - they make me so happy and I appreciate them greatly.

Harry sighs, exasperation humming in his veins. “Astrid, for the millionth time, I didn’t poison your azaleas. What possible reason could I have for doing-“

“I don’t believe you, you… monster!” Astrid shrieks, bony finger pointed at him accusingly from the relative safety of the other side of her flower bed. She’s a small, bitter woman, no more than five-feet, grey spindly hair jutting out from below her brown beanie and framing her weathered face, beady eyes boring a hole into him.

Now, Harry is a patient man, really he is. He prides himself on his calm demeanour and good nature and there are a lot of things he’ll let slide, but this is getting ridiculous. He’s no more a monster than she is.

“Astrid, please,” Harry says, trying to keep his tone even, hands raised in platitude.

His attempts are futile, however, as she’s clearly climbed onto her metaphorical soapbox and isn’t intending on coming down anytime soon. “This town has gone to pot ever since they let  _ your _ kind move in, infesting the place and stinking it up with your blood banks and god only knows what else,” Astrid spits out, eyes wild and body shaking with fury and hatred.

It’s not that Harry is unaccustomed to this kind of attitude but he really thought he was making inroads, doing everything he could to assimilate and blend in. He always tips the barista at the coffee shop, makes nice with the young kid at the supermarket checkout, always drops some coins into the busker's open guitar case, and even baked some muffins for the fundraiser at the local community centre. He does his bit, but for some people, it’ll never be enough.

Since the merge, when the underworld and upperworld joined, beings from both were allowed, even encouraged, to move freely between worlds and settle in either. That was more than fifty years ago but there are still those who object to the situation, wanting things to go back to how they were. Unfortunately for Harry, his neighbour is one such person.

Harry decides reasoning with her is pointless so he makes to retreat. “Alright, Astrid. I’m gonna go in now, but I’ll gladly help you dig them out and replace them if you’d like,” Harry offers, taking one last shot at appeasing her.

“I don’t want you touching my flowers you  _ freak _ ! You and your whole Vampire kind should just go back to the underworld where you belong!”

And no. That’s not okay.

“Astrid,” Harry says firmly. “You and I are very different, and this is hard for you to understand, I get that, but shouting and screaming and accusing me of things I haven’t done is no way to go about this. Can we not just coexist? You do your witchcrafty things on your side of the fence and I’ll do my vampirey things on my side and we can just pretend the other isn’t even there.” Harry motions back and forth between them for extra emphasis but his words are clearly not making an indent on Astrid’s good nature, possibly as she doesn’t actually have one, so he decides it's time to retreat.

He turns and walks back across his manicured lawn, Astrid’s tirade of hysterical abuse edging into the background as he increases the distance between them. He strides up the stone steps and into his house, closing the door behind him, and shutting her out. Peace at last.

The warmth of the fire welcomes him as he moves through his living room and into the kitchen. Shamus eyes him from the kitchen bench with a judgemental air as only a cat can muster.

“What?” Harry grumbles and Shamus gives him a disapproving mewl before leaping down from the bench and padding over to the back door, black fur shining in the sunlight as he nudges the cat flap with his head and disappears into the garden. “Thanks for your support!” Harry shouts after him like it’s going to have any effect.

Harry sighs and fills the kettle, popping it on to boil while he checks the fridge for something to cook for dinner. Grilled tofu and salad tonight, he decides, perhaps with a side of garlic mash. Yes, garlic. He chuckles to himself. The humans on the other side of the shimmer have such a warped idea of what being a vampire is really like. They have a sense of their own universe but mostly go about their business completely unaware of the parallel universe that exists just beyond their conscious comprehension. Stories and folklore built up over the centuries have captured some of it, albeit poorly, and Harry’s kind has been particularly harshly represented. 

Vampires, for example, have souls, strong hearts that push blood through their veins, and aren’t burned by the sun or warded off by garlic or crucifixes. They sleep in a regular bed, not hanging upside down like bats or resting in coffins. But the humans didn’t get it all wrong. His skin is pale, translucent even, he’s strong, able to lift and bear heavyweights, and he needs to consume a blood pack every few days, much to his disgust. His life span is longer too, but he’s not immortal, most vampires live for two hundred years or so, just aging more slowly, and at ninety-two, he’s considered middle-aged. He also has long, fang-like incisors that appear when he drinks blood or is about to orgasm. The mere thought of it sends a shiver down his spine and makes his dick twitch in his pants.

The kettle boils, bringing him back to the task at hand and he pours the water into his mug, steam rising as the smell of the tea leaves wafts up into the air. He dunks the bag a few times and strains it off, popping it into the bin. He’s about to head into the living room when the doorbell sounds, ringing out through the house. Leaving his mug of tea on the bench, he wanders down the hallway, curious as to who could be visiting on a Sunday afternoon. He turns the handle, opening the door with a warm smile to welcome whoever has stopped by. But when he sees who it is, the smile slides off his face. Astrid.

The look of pure evil is the only warning Harry gets as she flings a spray of red dust from her hands all over Harry with a shout of  _ Pazmeena begalist _ !

As he’s falling to the floor, he can only manage to cry out  _ Motherfuck- _ before everything goes black.

~~~~

Harry squints open one eye and tries to get his bearings, cold wooden boards under his cheek. A few dust bunnies come into focus under a bed before his vision blurs again, a searing pain shooting up from the base of his skull. Fucking Astrid. Goddamnit.

He’s on a floor somewhere, discernibly not his own, that much is clear. His muscles ache, presumably a carryover from the transference, and he’s thirsty too, desperately so. He forces himself up onto his hands and knees, swaying back and forth and head hanging down as he tries to steady himself. He sucks in a few lungfuls of air and tries to focus on his hands. Well, not his hands exactly, but the ones attached to the body he’s in. Fuck.

He reaches up and grips the side of the mattress, pulling himself to his knees and flopping onto the unmade bed as unfamiliar smells and sounds accost his senses. He lets his breathing even out and his eyesight adjust as he stares up at the ceiling; the white paint peeling off at the cornices and around the intricate rose in the centre. 

He sighs and runs his hands over his new body, thinner than his own, with sinewy muscles and a dusting of curly hair on his chest. Gliding his hands lower he’s met with a soft cock and balls. Okay, so he’s male. He’s almost disappointed for a fleeting moment. If he’s going to be inhabiting this body, however brief that period may be, it might’ve been nice to experience the female form. He lets the thought pass as his brain starts to kick into gear. He needs to find a mirror.

He strains and sits up, feet thudding onto the floor. The bedroom is small and messy, clothes and shoes strewn around, a desk under the window piled high with books and used Starbucks coffee cups. There’s a name scrawled on the cups though, excellent. He gets to his feet and stumbles slightly, pausing to let his body gain its equilibrium. When the room stops spinning he continues on, picking up one of the cups. “Niall,” he reads aloud, the word feeling strange on his tongue, voice unrecognizable.

“Hi, my name is Niall,” he tries it out, accent thick. Irish. Interesting.

He turns and spies a mirror on the back of the door, obscured by coats that hang from a hook above. Making his way over he finds his steps more even, a little surprised at how quickly he’s learning to move in this foreign form. He takes a deep breath and reaches up for the coats. “Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.”

He gasps at the sight before him, the sensation of looking upon himself and finding a complete stranger instead, a tad hard to process. He’s a little bit shorter, maybe five-eight? Late twenties, give or take a few years. Brown hair cropped at the sides with a wayward mop on top, piercing blue eyes, and ruddy cheeks. He pokes at his mouth and nose before contorting his face into an exaggerated smile, baring his teeth. Straight pearly whites reflect back at him. Good dental hygiene. Nice.

He continues to catalogue his body; a small silver sleeper in one ear, no tattoos, flat stomach, chicken legs. He turns around and twists at the waist to see his arse, or lack thereof, before refocusing on the room. Right. Clothes.

He rummages through Niall’s drawers and closet and finds a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He pulls them on along with some socks and a pair of trainers from the floor. He gets dressed, grabs a coat from the pile he’d created near the door and heads out into the hallway to take stock of his situation.

The house is still, the last rays of sunlight filtering through a window above the stairs and creating beams of dust particles. He heads towards the stairs and creeps down the single flight, keeping a lookout for anyone about, but everything is quiet.

He goes into the kitchen and opens a few cupboards looking for a glass, finding one and filling it with water from the tap. He’s so bloody thirsty. Not thirsty for blood though, he chuckles to himself at his warped sense of humour. Niall’s human body feels strange, skin too hot and mouth too dry. His mouth feels better but there’s a funny taste lingering so he chugs another glass of water down and rinses it, placing it on the sink. 

“Right,” Harry says and slaps his hands down on the kitchen benchtop. Now he just has to get home, find this poor Niall guy who is currently camped out in his body, and have them swapped back. What could possibly go wrong?

~~~~

The shimmer is a strange thing; difficult to latch onto and even more difficult to transverse. Harry has journeyed across it many times, but never while out of his own body. It’s not a fixed point, there’s no wall of shimmering light as the name might suggest, it's everywhere and nowhere, appearing more as a portal when sensed by the traveller.

He wanders out into the rear garden, noticing how well kept it is, not as nice as own, of course, but Niall obviously has a green thumb. He stands in the middle of the small lawn and relaxes his shoulders, trying to focus and centre himself, reaching out with his mind. He feels a tingling sensation in his fingers and toes and the tips of his ears, like a faint buzzing, as he senses a pull in his gut. He hasn’t done this for years and it’s different each time. Sometimes it’s instantaneous, other times it can take a while. He hopes it’s quick this time.

He closes his eyes and lets his thoughts drift to his home, his garden, his fireplace, the artworks on his walls, the warmth of his bed, even Shamus, as grumpy as he is; anything and everything that identifies where he wants to be. He doesn’t think the shimmer will be confused by the body he’s in, but it may take a little longer than usual. The images swirl in his head, becoming increasingly vivid the more he concentrates on opening his mind.

Minutes pass, anticipation building as the pull becomes stronger, his entire body now buzzing and trembling. The familiar snap of the shimmer locking onto him is still a shock, even though he’s expecting it. His body goes taut, heating up like he’s basking in the sunlight of a hot summer's day.

He focuses on his destination, clearing his mind of everything else; his living room, the couch, the soft thick rug. Holding his breath, he feels weightless, hands balled in tight fists by his sides as he waits for the shunt. When he slams into his world with a jolt, his feet land firmly on the rug in his living room and gravity takes over with a suddenness that pushes the air from his lungs. The windows rattle and he doubles over, bracing himself on his knees as he lets his body settle and opens his eyes. Home. Thank god.

“What the  _ fuck _ !” He hears his own voice scream from upstairs.

Right.

Niall.

Harry takes off up the flight of stairs to his bedroom, stopping at the closed door and giving himself a moment to prepare for what is surely going to be a very distressed human on the other side. A very distressed human in  _ his own body _ , he reminds himself. 

He turns the handle and finds Niall sitting on the floor in front of the full-length mirror, naked, staring at his reflection. It’s weird seeing his body like this, inhabited by someone else, twisting and moving in an unfamiliar manner.

Niall turns as Harry comes into the room. The shriek he lets out is piercing and a little terrifying. “What the fuck is going on?!”

“Hey, it’s okay, Niall,” Harry says, holding his hands up in an attempt to calm the freaked out Irishman on his bedroom floor.

“It most certainly isn’t okay! Who the fuck are you? And why are you... me? Where am I? Am I dead? Oh my god.”

Harry doesn’t have time to answer any of Niall’s questions before the poor man sways, eyes rolling back in his head, and promptly passes out. He falls back and his head hits the floor with a soft thud, the cotton-weave rug thankfully absorbing the worst of the impact.

Harry sighs and goes over to the man prone on his floor. He crouches down and scoops him up, musing at the surprising strength of Niall’s body as hefts him up and onto the bed, pulling a throw blanket over him.

He goes back downstairs and grabs a bottle of water and a banana for his guest. Yes, guest. Harry’s never really had a house guest before and he’s sure they’ll get along brilliantly… once he stops screaming and passing out, that is. They’re going to be spending the next few days with each other while this gets sorted so Harry’s wants to make him feel as welcome as possible. He pauses at the edge of the kitchen and nods to himself, turning back around and prying the three-quarter full bottle of vodka from its ice cocoon; alcohol, the great leveller.

He goes back into the bedroom and finds Niall groggily coming to. He sets the food and drinks on the bedside table and moves to sit at the end of the bed, not wanting to crowd him.

“How are you feeling?” Harry asks as Niall rubs at his eyes.

Niall opens his eyes and sucks in a sharp breath before visibly trying to relax. “Well, you’re still me, so yeah… pretty fucked up.”

“Mmmm… this is certainly going to take a bit of getting used to.”

“Fancy offering up an explanation…?”

“Harry. I’m Harry. And you’re Niall.”

“Alright. But I’m not so sure about that ‘cause from where I’m sitting you bear a striking resemblance to a bloke I know called Niall,” he says, sitting up against the headboard and crossing his arms over his chest. “But keep talking, I’m dying to know how you’re gonna explain this. That’s assuming I’m not hallucinating this entire thing.”

Harry chuckles and shakes his head. “Nope. Not hallucinating. Although maybe that would be a better option at this point.”

“Not helping mate.”

“Sorry. Okay. So, hi,” Harry says with a small wave.

“Think we’re past that, yeah? I’m Niall, you’re Harry, except… you’re Niall and I’m Harry, or at least I think… wait this is your body, right?” Niall asks, uncrossing his arms and pointing at his torso.

“Yup! That’s mine. Take good care of it for me,” Harry says with a wink.

“Well, hows about you fix this… whatever  _ this _ is and then you can look after it your bloody self.”

“Yeah… so, about that. Uhm… we’ve been body-swapped.”

“Well spotted, mate,” Niall deadpans. “How about you start at the beginning for me so I can catch up?”

“Okay… but you might want to grab that bottle of vodka just in case, this is gonna be a wild ride.”

Niall eyes him warily, reaching over and taking the bottle and unscrewing the lid. He takes a long swig, not breaking his stare and sets the open bottle in his lap. “Alright. Hit me with your best shot.”

Harry spends the next ten minutes explaining everything as best he can as Niall sits, mouth agape, eyes wide. He tells him about the underworld and upperworld, the shimmer, vampires and witches and all manner of other creatures who inhabit the universe. He explains his earlier disagreement with Astrid and the resulting body swap although the details of why Niall was randomly chosen may never become clear, Astrid likely didn’t even know who she was targeting when she cast the spell. 

Harry finishes and Niall is quiet for a long time as he tries to process everything, his throat working to swallow down the gulps of vodka the only sound filling the room. Finally he stops and screws the top back on the now half-empty bottle. “So we’re in a different dimension?”

“Sort of, I guess?”

“And a witch cast a spell on us because you killed her azaleas?”

“Heeeeyyyy… I did no such thing. But yeah, that’s what she thinks.”

“Alright. Cool. I mean, not cool, but... Let’s assume for a moment that everything you’ve said is true and I’m not actually in some dodgy-prawn-salad-induced fever dream but instead I’m currently in a world that somehow exists in parallel to mine, but that no human knows about, and you can move back and forth through a thing called the  _ shimmer _ , and the evil witch next door thought it’d be totally okay to just do a body swap spell for shits and giggles so now I’m inhabiting your body, your  _ vampire _ body… Assuming  _ all _ of that is true…”

Harry nods encouragingly, pleasantly surprised at how well Niall is taking this, all things considered. “Yeah…?”

“How the fuck do we swap back?”

Harry grins and swivels around on the bed, making himself more comfortable. “Easy. We pay a visit to the DoLaR.”

“The Doh-lah?”

“The DoLaR. The Department of Licensing and Rectifications.”

“Okay…” Niall quirks a brow. “Fancy elaborating?”

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and get some dinner and I’ll explain everything,” Harry says as he stands. “Grab yourself some clothes and I’ll whip us up a tofu stir fry.”

Niall groans. “I’d really much prefer a steak. Rare if possible.”

Harry laughs and shakes his head. “That’s the vampire talking. Don’t worry, I’ve got some blood packs in the fridge.”

“Eeeugghh…” Niall says with a shudder and scrunches up his face. “That’s gross.”

Harry heads across the room and turns as he reaches the doorway. “Heeeeyyyy… don’t knock it ‘til you try it!” Harry chides and spins, scurrying out into the hallway, Niall’s responding “I hate you!” sounding out behind him as Harry takes the stairs two at a time, cackling as he goes.


	2. Ticket B114

Louis closes his locker, the sound of metal on metal bouncing off the plastered walls and linoleum tiles. He clicks the padlock shut and runs his thumb over the dials, jumbling the code as the chatter of his coworkers and whirs of the coffee machine filter through from the adjoining staff room.

He wanders through the doorway into the brightly lit room, affixing his name badge to the pocket of his red polo shirt. There are a few of his DoLaR team members there already, huddling around the island bench and waiting their turn to get their morning hit of caffeine. It’s tea for him, as usual. A cup of Yorkshire always his preference to get the day underway.

“Hey, Lou,” Billy says with a nod. “Good weekend?”

Billy’s a good lad. Young and eager, still in his first year at the Department. Louis had trained him up and he’d learned fast. “Aye up, Billy. Good, thanks, you?” Louis grabs his mug from the cupboard and weaves in and out of the small crowd as a few others say their good mornings.

“Yeah, sick. Went hiking in the Dales and camped out. Fucking cold, but really good,” Billy says and takes a swig of his coffee, hands wrapped around the mug for warmth.

“Stargazing?” Louis asks as he adds a tea bag and some milk to his mug and slides over to the hot water urn.

“Yup! It was Forzean Rising this weekend. Got some awesome pics. I’ll uhm.. show you on lunch break, if you like?”

Billy’s tone is hopeful. Bless. He’s passionate about all things celestial and Louis is a massive fan too so he doesn’t mind spending the time to share it with him. Forzean Rising is a sight to see and Louis kicks himself internally for missing it, but there’s always next year. Each October, when viewed from the right vantage point, two far away star systems give the impression of overlapping, reflected lights creating a myriad of swirling patterns in the night sky. “Yeah? That’d be awesome. I’m on twelve-thirties this week.”

Louis finishes filling his mug and spins around, met by Billy’s excited smile. “Me too! Okay, cool. I won’t bore you with too much,” he says shyly. “But I used my new lens and got some pretty good shots.”

Louis lets a genuine smile spread across his face. “Never a bore, mate, I’m looking forward to it.” Louis means it too. He used to go stargazing a lot. He should really start doing it again. 

The bell chimes through the speakers signalling ten minutes until chaos. The staff busy themselves downing the last dregs of their coffees and teas, rinsing out their cups and mugs as the last few late-comers file in from the locker room. It’s a happy group, all things considered. Theirs can be a challenging job, dealing with every manner of problem and character that walks through the doors, but it’s rewarding too.

Louis knocks back the last of his tea and goes for a refill; one cup just isn’t enough for a Monday morning. The weekend always brings an increased influx of the weird, the wonderful, and the downright bizarre through the doors so the more caffeine he can get into his system, the better.

The rest of his team are milling around and talking amongst themselves before the daily huddle as he walks out into the customer service unit. They’re a bedraggled bunch, yelks mostly, like Louis himself, with a couple of exceptions for the specialist support staff. Whilst yelks are ostensibly human, their ability to communicate with anything that has a life force running through it - beings of all manner, including animals and plants - mean they are perfectly suited for the job. 

Liam, their team leader and a yelk too, is in the centre of the group, arse leaning against a table as he flicks through the paperwork in his hands. He’s a good boss. He knows his stuff and generally does his best to make the workplace a fun and relaxed environment. They’ve worked together for a couple of years and become quite good mates, often grabbing a few drinks after the more stressful days.

Liam looks up as Louis approaches and smiles brightly. “Morning Lou, good weekend?”

Louis rests against the desk beside him and takes another sip of his tea, the chatter of his other team members continuing around him. “Yeah, thanks mate. Yours?”

“Not too bad. Just a quiet one. Zayn’s away on some retreat with his clutch doing vampirey things,” Liam says with a shrug. “He’s back this afternoon though.”

“Ahhh… that’ll be good. Any progress on the house-hunting front?”

Liam and Zayn have been searching for the perfect property to start their married life together since their wedding a few months ago and they’ve been struggling to find the right mix of layout, decor, garden and neighbourhood. There are still a lot of prejudices out there toward vampires, even so long after the merge, and added to that, their mixed relationship hasn’t helped matters. It shouldn’t be an issue, and Louis hates that it is, but that’s the reality of the world they live in. 

Liam shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. “Nothing yet, but we’ve got a few appointments this week so I’m hopeful.”

“Don’t worry mate,” Louis says and pats Liam’s thigh. “The right thing is probably just around the corner.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

The bell chimes through the speaker system giving them a five-minute warning and Liam stands as the team quietens down. 

“Alright! Morning all. Hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready to embrace the week with renewed energy! We’ve got a busy week ahead of us as usual,” Liam says and reads from the sheet in his hand. “The IT team will be rolling out an upgrade to our phone system this evening so we can expect chaos tomorrow morning.” Groans ring out around them, memories of the last disastrous upgrade still fresh in their minds. Liam continues unperturbed. “There’s a fire drill scheduled for Wednesday at around midday, the incident response team are coming through to do a review of our Possessed Entity quarantine procedures on Thursday afternoon, and… we have  _ two _ birthdays this week! Happy birthday to Selma and Fred! We’ll be having a morning tea on Friday so make sure you pop a donation into the cake tin. Alright. That’s about it. Have a great day everyone!”

The majority of the team don’t share Liam’s level of enthusiasm this early on a Monday morning, mostly just nodding and mumbling to themselves as they break away and trudge off to their stations. “Good huddle, Liam,” Louis says encouragingly as he stands and drains the last of his tea in one gulp. “Did you want me to come in early to help test the phone system tomorrow?”

Liam smiles gratefully. “Yeah? Shit yeah, that'd be awesome, Lou. Thanks.”

As Liam’s second in charge, Louis is happy to take on the extra responsibility and alleviate some of the burden from him. “No worries, mate. Okay! Into the fray once more.”

“Have a good day, Lou.”

Louis waves to him over his shoulder in salute as he makes his way to his allotted desk on the front line, one of ten that stand as open cubicles to the currently empty customer waiting area before him. He sits down, swivelling his chair around to face his screen, punching in his login details on the keyboard. 

“Morning Dave,” Louis says to the Snake Plant on his desk. “Thirsty?”

The plant emits a short waft of scent indicating that it is in need of some water so Louis picks up his spritzer bottle and gives it a soak, watching as the droplets run down the thick leaves and into the soil. As a yelk, he loves being able to communicate with all living things, but particularly with the flora. There’s something calming about the interactions that he’s always been drawn to and wandering through a forest and sensing all the life around him has always been one of his favourite pastimes.

His computer finishes its login process and he opens up his email, the internal team messaging app, the customer management database, and the customer queuing system. He scans through his emails, filing away the informational messages and flagging those he needs to read later. Bringing the queuing system into focus, he watches as the various queues populate: Accidental Resurrection, Possession Reversal, Potion Dispensary Licenses, Underworld Travel Visas, and Body Reallocation. He’s on the Body Reallocation queue today, which is always good for a laugh; weird and wonderful barely even scratching the surface of what he’s seen.

The bell chimes through the speaker system once more and he sees Liam over at the automatic sliding doors, unlocking the mechanism with a key in the control unit on the adjacent wall. People immediately start flowing in, forming a line at the ticketing console just inside. Louis can see some of them from his perch, a mixed bag of dishevelled looking witches and vampires and yelks. It’s early, so most of these customers have likely been waiting outside for urgent assistance of some form.

The system starts dropping new tickets into the queues on his screen, but there’s nothing for him yet. He listens as the tickets start being called out in that familiar woman’s voice that most systems like this use. More customers file in and the chairs start to fill up; looks like there’s a lot of visa requests and license renewals which isn’t unusual for this time of year, everyone getting their things in order before the holidays next month.

His screen dings and the queue flashes with a new ticket for him. He clicks on it and the announcement goes out over the speaker system.

“Ticket B114, counter seven. Ticket B114, counter seven,” the woman’s voice says calmly as the green light above his station illuminates. Show time.

Louis watches as two men approach, making a beeline for his counter with determined strides. The first man is fairly skinny, with brown hair and piercing blue eyes, and is guiding another slightly taller man by a hand on his lower back. The second man has a broad chest which tapers down to a slim waist, with gorgeous curls that skim his shoulders, plump, full lips, and translucent skin clearly indicating that he’s a vampire. As vampires go, he’s absolutely stunning and Louis sits up a little higher in his seat, tugging on the hem of his polo shirt to straighten it out.

The smaller man pulls out the chairs in front of Louis’ station and they both sit down, the vampire looking around nervously.

“Hi, I’m Louis. How can I help you two today?” Louis asks brightly, plastering on his best welcoming smile.

“Hi there, I’m Harry,” the smaller man says sliding the ticket across the desk.

“I’m Niall,” the vampire says with a wave before shoving his thumb in his mouth and biting on the quick.

“So… you’ve been swapped?” Louis prompts.

Harry takes the lead. “Yeah. My next-door neighbour thought I’d killed her azaleas and cast a spell. Just to be clear, I did  _ not _ kill her azaleas.”

Louis chuckles and turns to his screen, creating a new case file in the customer database. “Okay, I believe you, mate. Let’s start at the beginning. Walk me through what happened.”

Harry explains about his next-door neighbour, Astrid, their ongoing disagreements, and her unwillingness to accept the merged worlds. He steps through the body swap and the transference across the shimmer. It’s all fairly routine and Louis is confident he’ll have them back in their own bodies in no time.

Harry finishes his story and sighs. “So, yeah. She’s a proper nasty piece of work and... we'd very much like to be swapped back.”

“Yes please,” Niall adds, nodding, a hopeful expression on his face.

“You don’t want to stay a vampire then, Niall?”

“What? No! I mean, no thank you.”

“Only mucking, mate,” Louis says with a wink. “Don’t worry, we should be able to sort that out for you.” He types in some more details. “You said it was red dust?”

“Mhmmm…” Harry concurs. “And she said  _ pazmeena begalist _ as she threw it at me. Don’t remember anything after that though, I blacked out,” he says a bit embarrassed and it’s really quite endearing.

“That’s okay, Harry, reckon I’ve got all the info I need. She certainly is a nasty one. That’s a particularly forceful spell and definitely on the prohibited list. You’re both pretty lucky to have not ended up not being flung into a void, to be honest.”

Niall groans and thumps his head on the desk, mumbling to himself.

“It’s alright, mate,” Harry says as he rubs Niall’s back soothingly. “Louis here is going to make everything better, you’ll see.” He leans down and whispers into Niall’s ear but purposefully loud enough so that Louis can still hear him. “Someone with eyes that pretty can do no wrong.”

Niall snaps his head up and glares at Harry. “Do not, I repeat  _ do not  _ hit on the person who holds my fate in his hands.”

Harry laughs and Louis flushes, completely caught off guard. He may not be attracted to the body Harry is currently in, but his personality is something else altogether and he wonders how devastating that combination is going to be once everything is back as it’s supposed to be.

Louis can totally play along. It’s not like there’s a rule, per se... or maybe there is? Whatever. “Well, I usually like my prospective suitors to take me on a date before they start commenting on my eyes.”

Harry beams and Niall groans again, banging his head repeatedly on the desk as he chants. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Not happening. Nope. Nope. Nope.”

Harry wraps an arm around Niall’s shoulders and lifts him up, drawing him into his chest. “What have we discussed about damaging the goods while you’re camping out in my body, Niall?” Harry chides good-naturedly and Niall rolls his eyes.

“Yes, yes, don’t damage the goods,” Niall deadpans, clearly this has been an issue and it makes Louis giggle wondering what their last twelve hours or so have been like together. He covers his mouth with the back of his hand and tries to regain his composure although his reaction isn’t lost on Harry who grins at him, obviously pleased with himself.

Louis sits up and straightens his shoulders, trying to give off an air of professionalism, although that ship may have sailed. “Alright, let’s get you guys sorted with a reversal potion and we’ll have you out of here for today.”

“Take your time, I don’t mind hanging around,” Harry smirks and Niall swats him in the chest.

They banter back and forth so easily that Louis almost forgets that he has a job to do but eventually he has captured all the details and submitted a request to the dispensary for the potion. He sends the code to a handheld buzzer for Harry and Niall to take with them and slides it across the desk.

“Okay, so the dispensary is down the end through the glass sliding doors,” Louis says and points off to his right, both men turning to look and nodding in acknowledgment. “You’ll need to follow the instructions provided and then come back once you’ve swapped bodies and we’ll arrange for Niall to be taken back across the shimmer.”

Harry leans forward on his elbows and eyes Louis intently. “And when do I get to take you out on that date?” He asks, waggling his eyebrows and Louis flush creeps rapidly back up his neck.

“Good lord…” Niall shakes his head. “Run, Louis... run.”

Harry scowls and huffs out a breath. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a shit wingman?”

“Just trying to save Louis here from your woeful dad jokes and shit cooking.”

“Woah. Step too far, man. You wound me,” Harry says dramatically, clutching at his chest.

“What self-respecting vampire cooks tofu stir fry? Tofu!” Niall exclaims and throws his hands in the air.

Louis cackles and Harry harrumphs, muttering something about ungrateful houseguests.

“Alright. So when you come back tomorrow, just select option three on the ticketing console at the front and then put in your case number, it’ll send you straight to my queue.”

“And then I can ask you out on a date?” Harry asks excitedly, seeming to forget Niall’s discouraging comments.

“Let’s see how you turn out when you’re swapped back, yeah? Who knows, maybe I won’t like you as a vampire,” Louis says teasingly but even he doesn’t buy it. Harry is magnetic and Louis is practically bursting out of his skin in anticipation. It’s been a long time since he’s felt this kind of connection with anyone and he’s more than interested in seeing where this can go.

Harry smiles happily. “Deal. And  _ who knows _ ,” he says, the hint of a mocking tone underneath. Cheeky. “Maybe you won’t look so good when I’m seeing you through my own eyes.”

Louis leans forward and does his best bedroom eyes, letting the words drip from his lips as seductively as possible. “Oh, I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.” It gets the response he was after, Harry’s mouth gaping open and a groan working its way up from deep in his chest.

“Right. That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. I’m tapping out,” Niall says and stands, picking up the buzzer. “Louis, it was a pleasure, I’ll see you tomorrow. Harry, I’ll meet you at the dispensary once you’ve put your tongue back in your mouth.”

Niall strides off leaving Harry and Louis chuckling in his wake.

Harry snaps his mouth shut and Louis regains some semblance of composure, but it’s a fine line, this entire exchange has left him physically hot under the collar.

Harry stands and straightens his shirt. “Until tomorrow, Louis,” he says, eyes burning a hole in Louis soul.

“Until tomorrow,” Louis replies, voice shaky with the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Harry nods and walks away, Louis watching him go with wide-eyed awe and a heaping dose of desire.

~~~~

“I need your advice,” Louis groans and rests his chin on his forearms. The lunchroom is quiet on their morning tea break, staggered break times ensuring the customers aren’t unduly impacted.

“Oh yeah? What’s up?” Liam asks distractedly as he scrolls through his phone.

“I think I’m in love.”

That’s enough to drag Liam away from whatever stupid app he’s fiddling with and he sets his phone down, looking up at Louis with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Okay, you’ve got my attention, spill.”

Louis groans again and buries his face in his arms. “I think I’m in love and he’s a vampire to boot.”

“How long have you been dating and why is this the first I’m hearing about this mystery man?”

Louis lifts his head and peeks out from under his fringe. “Not dating. Just met him this morning,” he says sheepishly.

“He’s a customer? Louis!”

“I  _ know _ … Don’t judge me, Liam, I’m in a fragile state,” Louis says and pouts. It’s most unbecoming but Louis can’t be arsed to care.

“Hang on. You’re on the body swap queue today. So you met his body and his soul separately? How do you know if you actually like him as, well… him?”

“Oh, I know, trust me,” Louis says wistfully. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my love-wary friend?”

Louis sits up and fixes Liam with a stern gaze. “Aren’t you the one always telling me to be more welcoming to opportunities when they arise? To be more open with my heart and willing to take a leap? I’m almost certain that was you,” he says and crosses his arms over his chest.

Liam acquiesces and nods. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like me.”

“So... gimme some of that award-winning advice you’re always banging on about. Money where your mouth is and all that.”

“Well. What happened?”

Louis tells Liam about Harry in excruciating detail, gushing about his sense of humour and the perfect body he’s going to be transferred back into overnight. Liam lets him continue uninterrupted, nodding in all the right places and smiling warmly until Louis finishes and silence settles over them.

“I don’t think you need my advice, mate. Sounds like you both know what you want, so just let it happen. I guess the only thing is… are you okay with dating a vampire?”

Louis cocks his head and looks at Liam, confusion washing over him. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No particular reason,” Liam says with a shrug. “I just haven’t heard you mention any vampires in your dating history and I know it’s not for everyone.”

“I mean, I haven’t dated one before but what’s not to like? He’s hot as fuck and can hold me up against a wall with one hand.”

Liam chuckles bashfully. “Yeah. Sex with a vampire is certainly… different.”

Louis isn’t sure how much Liam is going to be prepared to share, their friendship being close, but maybe not  _ that _ close. Regardless, he decides to go all-in. “Do you let Zayn bite you?”

Liam practically chokes on his tea and splutters it across the table. He clears his throat and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Uhm… yeah. It’s… wow. It’s really something else, particularly if it’s done at, you know… just the right moment.” Liam’s blush is furiously beating a path up his neck and cheeks and it’s really quite adorable.

“Hmmmm… something to look forward to then,” Louis muses and watches as Liam zones out. “Earth to Liam,” he says as he snaps his fingers in front of his face.

“What? Oh, yeah. Definitely something to look forward to.”

Louis files the information away for later, a later that he hopes comes very soon.

~~~~

The rest of the morning had dragged on, Louis barely able to drag his thoughts away from Harry. Two more body swap cases which he dealt with swiftly and one returning case from the previous week where the swap hadn’t exactly gone to plan. It was between two witches, Ella and Persephone, and was a spell cast out of jealousy during a drunken night. Ella had decided that she very much liked her new body and didn’t want to swap back, Persephone very much wanted her body back. They had sat in front of him bickering for twenty minutes, bitching and moaning and taking metaphorical swipes at each other before he’d finally referred them to mediation to sort themselves out.

The bell chimes through the speakers indicating the next shift of lunch breaks and he locks his computer and heads toward the staff room.

Billy comes out of the locker room, laptop in hand, as Louis is taking his sandwich and fruit salad from the fridge.

“Ready to be wowed?” Billy asks excitedly.

Louis had almost forgotten the slide show treat he’d been promised but now he can’t think of anything better to distract from his Harry-addled brain. “Ooohhh yes please, fire it up.”

They take their seats at one of the tables, Billy logging into his laptop as Louis unwraps his sandwich and settles in. He takes a bite of his cold spaghetti and meatball roll, one of his favourites. People think he’s weird for making sandwiches out of pretty much every meal, but it’s just something he’s always done. In his humble opinion, there’s nothing better than a day-two meatball sandwich, doubters be damned.

“So yeah, like I said, me and Belize went out the Dales for Forzean Rising and it was so cool,” Billy says as he clicks through to the file folder and cracks it open.

“Sounds proper romantic, love.”

Billy smiles and starts the slide show. “Yeah. Camping under the stars is always a good way to share something special with the one you love.”

“Awwww, you two are going well then?”

“Mhmmm… been together six months now, so it was kind of an anniversary trip too.”

The images change on the screen, gorgeous shots of the starry night sky and vibrant colours. “I used some time-lapse functions on the camera with the new lens, see here… this was a sixty-second shot, and this one was a full two minutes.”

“That’s fucking sick, mate,” Louis says, genuinely in awe. The swirls of colour and light streak across the picture, purple and green and blue like roadways above the treetops. “How long is the trip out there?”

“Only about an hour, but it feels like you’re a million miles from civilization. It’s a great campground, too, good facilities, easy access by car, and not many people around. You, uhm… you should go sometime. Maybe take a special someone or, you know, on your own is good too.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. You’ve inspired me with these pics. It’s so beautiful out there.”

Billy seems pleased with Louis’ response and happily talks him through the rest of the images as they eat their lunches. Maybe Harry likes stargazing too? Perhaps Louis is getting ahead of himself, but he really felt like they had a connection, and Harry did appear keen to ask him on a date, although camping out under the stars might be a bit intense for a first date. He should probably keep his expectations in check. Probably. But he’s never been one to follow his own advice, and he has a good feeling about Harry. A really good feeling.


	3. Asking For Science

“Ugh. Can you stop looking at me like I’m lunch?” Harry scolds and rolls his eyes fondly.

“What? You worried I’m just gonna latch onto your neck and suck the life out of you?” Niall waggles his eyebrows from across the dining table and Harry flicks a grape at him. He catches it in his hand and pops it in his mouth, grinning like a loon.

“That’s not how it works and you know it. Were you not listening when I explained this the last twenty times?”

“Oh yeah, I was listening, but telling me  _ it’s complicated _ ,” Niall says, adding the air quotes for effect, “isn’t exactly an explanation. I think you’re holding back just to be annoying. I mean, I only get one day as a vampire and you’re trying to take all the fun out of it. You’re a party pooper.”

“I am not,” Harry huffs indignantly.

“Party. Popper,” Niall says emphasizing each word with an accusing point of his finger.

“You’re an idiot,” Harry chides, but there’s no heat in it. He’s actually really enjoying his time with Niall, constant questions for him to dodge notwithstanding. He’s fun and hilarious and has no filter to speak of and it’s been interesting to see himself through someone else’s eyes, literally. Shamus, on the other hand, has been less pleased with their current circumstances, giving them both a wide berth and absconding to the relative safety of the peach tree at the bottom of the garden.

“How do I even get these fang thingies to come down?” Niall asks as he taps on his teeth.

“Like I said, it’s… complicated,” Harry grins. Apparently Niall doesn’t see the funny side.

“If you say that one more time I’m gonna find the nearest tattoo shop and have  _ I’m A Dick _ inked on your forehead,” Niall growls pointing to his face, well, Harry’s face.

Harry sighs, putting down his glass of lemon-infused water. “There’s no switch, no steps to follow, it’s more of an emotional, or uhm… physical response to particular situations,” Harry explains although Niall’s frustrated expression clearly indicates his dissatisfaction.

“So what are these situations? Can’t we just make one of them happen?” Niall’s irritated, he knows, but it’s just not that easy to articulate. Harry scrunches up his nose and looks down at his half-eaten toasted sandwich. Niall crosses his arms over his chest. “Oh my god will you just tell me already!” Niall throws his hands in the air and throws his head back. “It can’t possibly be that bad that you can’t…” Niall’s head snaps up and his mouth hangs open, eyes practically bugging out of his head. “Wait. You mean… Nooooo….” Niall starts to cackle, loud and unabashed and Harry cringes, a flush spreading up the sensitive Irish skin he’s currently inhabiting. 

Harry shrugs, going for nonchalance and failing miserably. “You wanted to know.”

Niall tries to school his expression, laughter finally subsiding enough for him to get words out. “You’re fucking with me, surely?”

“Nope,” Harry says, popping the ‘p’. They stare at each other across Harry’s dining room table, the air still, tension high, until Harry sees the moment the idea pops into Niall’s head. And no. No. Harry doesn’t even have time to get the word out before Niall is pushing his chair back and making a beeline for the stairs. “Don’t you dare!” Harry shrieks, launching himself after him but he’s too fast, the benefit of Harry’s long legs aiding in Niall’s escape as he takes the stairs three at a time. Harry scampers as fast as he can but he’s too late, the bathroom door slamming and locking before he can reach it. He bangs on the door as he hears Niall rummaging through the drawers.

“You got any lube in here? Oh, wait. Never mind. Massage oil, nice, that’ll do the trick.”

Harry groans and knocks his head against the door. “Niall, I swear to god…”

“Reckon you might wanna leave me to it for a bit yeah? Unless you get off listening to blokes jerking off.”

“Fucking hell. Alright,” Harry grumbles. “But take good care of my dick, you wanker.” The pun slipping from his lips before he can stop himself. 

“Ha! Wanker. Literally,” Niall snickers from the other side of the door.

“Don’t like… bite anything, or yourself, I mean, me, okay?”

“Go away now, Harold,” Niall sing-songs.

“S’just Harry,” he mumbles.

“Whatever, big-dick,” Niall replies and Harry can hear the smirk in his voice.

Harry trudges back downstairs and cleans up their lunch dishes, putting on some music to drown out whatever noises he might inadvertently hear from upstairs. The thought of essentially hearing himself, his own voice, making those kinds of sounds would be a bit mind-warping. He’s fidgety and his skin feels a bit like it’s crawling with ants so he goes outside into the yard, hopeful that maybe Shamus will be open to keeping him company.

“Hey, buddy,” he says when he spies his beloved black cat high up in the peach tree. Shamus stares down at him, a judgemental expression fixed on his face. Oh well. Guess not. Harry can’t blame him, not really.

The grass feels soft and cool under his bare feet so he lays down, propping his hands behind his head and crossing his ankles, letting the sun's rays warm his body. His allows his mind to drift, an image of a blue-eyed man coming into focus; soft fringe, sparkling smile, and cheekbones that’d he’d very much like to run his tongue over. Louis. He gets to see him again tomorrow, and maybe, if he’s willing, ask him out on a date. He certainly seemed open to the idea, but perhaps he was just being polite. There was definitely a connection, though. He wonders if Louis will be interested once he and Niall have swapped bodies. It’s conceivable that if he was as keen as Harry interpreted, it might’ve been Niall that he was attracted to.

He hasn’t dated in a long time, is the thing, aside from a few flings here and there. It isn’t always easy for a vampire, what with the innate prejudices post-merge.

He wonders if Louis says yes to a date, where he should take him. He could do the traditional dinner and drinks, maybe a picnic, or he could cook for him? But none of that feels right. Louis was mesmerizing and even though their meeting was brief, it was long enough to know that he’s special, and that deserves more than a run of the mill first date.

He’s startled from his thoughts by the back door slamming open.

“ _ What _ , in the ever-loving  _ fuck _ , was that?!”

Harry sits up to find a dishevelled looking Niall standing in the doorway, hands braced on either side, panting, shirtless, with his trousers hanging slightly open, and fangs on display. He takes a split second to admire how good his body looks like this before snapping himself out of it and getting to his feet.

“Have fun, did we?” Harry asks as he wanders over, casting a brief glance over his shoulder at Shamus who is still glaring at him disapprovingly.

“Fun?!” Niall shrieks, chest rising and falling heavily. “Why aren’t you holed-up in your bedroom doing that all the live-long day?”

Harry chuckles, even with the inherent awkwardness of the situation he can still appreciate the humour, and to be fair, it  _ is _ pretty bloody mind-blowing. Not that he has much to compare it to, but he’s heard enough to know that vampires definitely get a good deal in the orgasm stakes.

“Well, I like to garden and cook and, you know, live my life, so spending all day jerking off is probably not particularly practical.”

“Your priorities need some work, man. Think I’m gonna go again,” Niall says and begins to turn just as Harry reaches him and takes hold of his shoulder.

“Nope. It’s potion time. Come on.”

Niall glares at him, fangs starting to recede. “Party. Pooper.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve mentioned.” Harry guides him back into the house and Niall trudges forward into the kitchen. 

“So what do we have to do again?”

Harry slides the instructions sheet over the island bench and takes the potion out of the bag. It’s in powder form so they need to mix it with boiling water and then let it cool a bit before drinking. He takes the scales out of the appliance cupboard and taps them into life, the zeros illuminating on the screen, and goes to fetch two small glasses from the shelf. He places the first glass on the scales and sets the tare weight, tipping in the required amount of powder and then repeating the process with the other glass.

“It’s pretty simple. We just drink this, then go and lay down and let the potion work its magic, probably overnight. We’ll feel a bit woozy afterwards but it shouldn’t be as bad as it was when Astrid did it. As Lou said, she used some sort of dodgy spell.”

A mischievous smile spreads across Niall’s face. “So… it’s  _ Lou _ now is it?”

“What?”

Niall rests his elbows on the benchtop and cradles his chin in his hands. “You just called  _ Louis _ , our caseworker, Lou. Care to share with the class, oh smitten one?”

Harry flushes and busies himself with filling the kettle. “Not sure what you’re getting at.” But he doubts he’s very convincing and Niall is unlikely to let him get away with it.

“Mhmmm… sure you’re not. You  _ fancy _ him. I thought you were just being nice to get us better service, I didn’t realise this was an actual thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s brilliant and I’m totally down with it. Plus, I’m an awesome wingman. Tell me all your deepest darkest desires and we’ll make them a reality.”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“ _ Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far _ ,” Niall sings the lines from Grease’s Summer Lovin’ and Harry is going to slap him upside the head any minute now.

“Stop it. I don’t fancy him.”

“ _ Tell me more, tell me more, like does he have a car _ !”

Niall starts dancing around the room, humming and hooting and pirouetting, knocking into furniture and sliding across the wooden floors. He comes up beside Harry and spins, leaning his elbows back on the counter and croons the last line of the song.

“ _ Bu-uh-ut, uhhhhhh, those su-uh-mer niiiiiights _ !”

“You’re insane,” Harry says with a reluctant grin, ducking his head bashfully.

“Ooh la la, Harry’s got a crush.”

“I hate you.”

Niall stands back up and hip-checks Harry. “Nah, you really don’t. More to the point, what’re ya gonna do about it?”

“Well, I said I was gonna ask him out when we go back tomorrow, and… that’s about as far as I got.”

“Alright. Solid start. So where are you going to take him?”

“He has to say yes first.”

“O ye of little faith. He was totally into you.”

Harry looks up and feels his face brighten. “Yeah? You think?”

“Yeah, for sure. Now you’ve just gotta come up with a kick-ass idea for a first date to sweep him off his feet,” Niall says as he brings over the kettle that’s just finished boiling. 

Harry opens the cutlery drawer and takes out a spoon. He carefully measures in the water and stirs the potion in each glass.

“I really like stargazing,” Harry offers, hoping it doesn’t sound too sappy.

“Ooohhhh… how romantic,” Niall says and takes the glass Harry slides over to him.

Bolstered by Niall’s encouraging words he lets the idea form more fully. “Yeah, there’s uhm… there’s this place about an hour from here that I’ve been a few times. It’s a campsite in the Dales and the visibility of the night sky is amazing,” Harry says, thinking back to his last visit for the Skilactus Comet a few months ago.

“Sold! He’ll be blown away, mate.”

“You don’t think an overnight camping trip is too much for a first date?”

“No way. It’ll be aces,” Niall says and grips Harry’s shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. “He’ll be head-over-heels in no time, mark my words.”

“Thanks, Niall.” It comes out genuine and he means it too. Niall’s a good guy and he wishes he didn’t have to go back to the human world so soon, it'd be nice to have a mate around. 

“Course. Come on then, potion time!”

They head upstairs into Harry’s bedroom and they both set their glasses on the bedside tables.

“So… I think we should just get naked and into bed, might be easiest.”

“Mate. I hope your chat-up lines are slightly more polished when you’re trying to woo Louis. That was fucking woeful.”

Harry rolls his eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before.”

Niall tilts his head and shrugs his shoulders. “Guess you’re right.”

They strip off their clothes and get under the covers. It feels weird and Harry finds himself start to giggle. “This is just… so ridiculous.”

“I know mate, I know,” Niall says with a chuckle. “Let’s get it over with and reclaim our bodies, yeah?”

They both reach for their glasses and turn to each other, duvet pooling at their waists. Harry raises his glass. “Well, it’s been a right laugh. And can I just say, if I had to choose to body swapped with someone again, I’d choose you. You’re a good egg, Niall.”

“Awwwwww… Harry. Right back at you,” Niall says holding up his glass. Harry clinks them together and pinches his nose with his thumb and forefinger, Niall copying his moves.

“Bottoms up!”

Niall nods. “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!”

It tastes absolutely disgusting and they both nearly choke on it but manage to drink it down without spilling any or spitting it back out. Harry winces as he swallows the last of the dregs. “Well, that was fucking horrible.”

“We should give them some feedback,” Niall says and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “They should add some sweetener or something.”

Harry chuckles and puts his empty glass on the table, scooting down in the bed and pulling the duvet up to his chin. “We can pass it on tomorrow.”

Niall lays down and they both stare at the ceiling. “How long until we’re out?”

“Dunno. The instructions didn’t really say. Shouldn’t be too long I suppose.”

“Hmmmm…”

They lay there for a few minutes in silent anticipation. Harry feels a tingling in his toes but nothing much else happens. “So, you looking forward to getting back home?”

“I guess so. But this has been a brilliant adventure. Not much to go back to, really.”

“No significant other?”

“Nah, I’m pretty much on my own, actually. No partner or family to speak of. Just moved to London about a month ago, so no one will be missing me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Niall, that must be hard,” Harry says and turns his head and sees Niall still staring at the ceiling, fingers steepled on his chest.

“S’alright. I make friends fast, but I travel around a lot too. Get itchy feet if I’m in the one place for too long. Gonna see the whole wide world, I am. Or as much of it as I can anyway.”

“That’s so brave.”

“Haven’t really thought of it that way, to be honest. Maybe? I dunno. It’s just what I do. This trip has been one for the books though, shame I won’t remember it.”

“Mmmmm… guess it’s a necessary part of the process.”

“For sure. Can’t have us humans wandering around knowing the truth about vampires now can we?”

There’s a teasing lilt in Niall’s voice and he’s going to miss it. “Whatever do you mean?” He asks faux-innocently.

“The orgasmatron fangs.”

Harry barks out a laugh, shoulders shaking and stomach muscles clenching. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You love me.”

“Don’t know about that but I’ll definitely miss you when you’re gone.”

“Don’t go and get all mushy on me now, Harold.”

“S’just Harry.”

“So you’ve said.”

Harry feels a warmth spread through his body, the tingles creeping up his legs as his eyelids get heavy.

“You feeling that?”

“Mhmmmm… sleepy.”

“Me too.”

“See you on the other side, mate.”

Niall’s words hang in the air as Harry lets himself be pulled under.

~~~~

Harry wakes with a start, body heavy and aching, and head pounding. So much for the DoLaR potion being more gentle than Astrid’s spell. He stretches out and cracks his toes, reaching his arms up to the headboard and stretching out his back. He opens his eyes and finds he’s on the other side of the bed, the morning sun streaming in through the window. Turning his head he sees Niall laying beside him back in his own body, mouth open and snoring loudly. It’s worked. Harry brings his hands back down and slides them under the covers, running them along his torso and down to cup his dick. Everything is where it’s supposed to be, thank god.

Niall splutters and coughs, waking himself up. He groans and frowns, squinting his eyes open. “Well, this is unpleasant. Hey! It’s me,” he says, hearing his own voice. “I’m me again. Cool.”

“I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Harry grumbles.

“You’re such a glass-half-empty vampire. Brighten up, buttercup. The body-swap has been reversed and… you get to see your lovely Lou today!”

The thought immediately brings a smile to Harry’s face. “That I do.” He ponders for a moment, worry creeping in at the edges.

“What?” Niall asks.

“Huh?”

Niall rolls on his side to face him, wincing as his muscles get their first use after the transfer. “I can hear those wheels turning from over here.”

Harry rolls over as well and pillows his cheek on his hands. “It’s just… what if he doesn’t like me as me, you know, the whole me, body and soul combined?”

“Then he’s an idiot. You’re a catch, mate. You’re sweet and kind and funny, even though it’s not always intentional, and you’ve got a rockin’ bod of which I happen to have first-hand knowledge so I can vouch for that one-hundred percent, plus, you know, you’ve got those damn fangs.”

Harry chuckles. “Thanks, Niall. I appreciate the encouragement.”

“Of course! I’m an excellent wingman, didn’t I mention?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you did.”

“Awesome. So for my reward…”

“Your what now?”

“As I was saying, for my  _ reward _ , I wanna know what you use them things for during sex. Cos I reckon it’s not just you that gets the effect. Like, what’s in store for Louis?” Niall grins and then adds. “Asking for science.”

Harry blanches, mouth dropping open on a gasp but Niall doesn’t avert his gaze, he just stares at him seriously, brows furrowed. “Uhm…”

“Come on. There’s gotta be something in it for him, can’t just be all for you. Spill. Gimme all the gruesome details.”

The mischievous twinkle in Niall’s eyes makes Harry grin and he decides his friend has earned his reward, as he put it.

“Uhm… so, obviously I’m only going off what I’ve heard, but… you know when you’re about to orgasm and the fangs come down?”

“Mhmmm… I’m very familiar with that sensation.”

“Well, if you bite someone just at the moment before they come, it has the same effect. They get the euphoric feeling throughout their body just like the vampire does.”

“ _ Niiiiice… _ shame I’m not the least bit attracted to you otherwise we could give it a whirl, but, ew, no.”

Harry laughs. “Absolutely not. You’re gross,” he says and pokes Niall in the shin with his big toe.

“Oi! Keep those ugly feet away from me!”

“I’m really gonna miss you.”

“Same, mate. Same.”

~~~~

They eat some breakfast and Shamus graces them with his presence, presumably having decided that all is right with the world once more. He takes a liking to Niall and curls himself around the Irishman’s feet while they finish their tea, much to Harry’s surprise.

As they’re leaving the house, they notice an official DoLaR vehicle in Astrid’s driveway and Harry hears her giving the officers an earful as he and Niall walk off into the distance. Harry may have been annoyed with her for the whole body-swap thing but he’s mellowed somewhat. With time to reflect, he understands that living alone can be a hard thing, particularly at her age, and he can only imagine how isolated she feels having her world change around her. He’s never seen anyone come to visit her, no family or friends, and she doesn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat to her neighbours. After they’d collected their potion from the dispensary yesterday, they dropped by the DoLaR Community Outreach Team and gave them some details about Astrid’s situation. The team were more than happy to arrange a visit to see how she was getting along and whether she would be suitable for a relocation to a seniors village close by, if she wanted to go, of course. Harry truly hopes she gives it some consideration.

The DoLaR looms bold and bright in the morning sun, the rays glinting off the glass and steel facade as they make their way up to the entrance. Harry is excited to see Louis, of course, but there’s also a sadness in his bones about losing Niall.

They wander up to the ticketing console and Niall punches in their case number before they take their seats in the waiting area, customers chattering all around them.

Niall is quiet beside him, knee bouncing distractedly as he scans the room. Harry allows himself to drift off, thinking about the best plan to employ when asking Louis out. Niall had convinced him to just go for it, lay it all out on the table, apparently convinced that a straightforward, honest approach is the way to go. Harry had concurred, but now that he’s here, his bravado has left him somewhat. A loud shout off to their right startles Harry from his thoughts. By the time he looks up, Niall has already jumped from his chair and is making his way over to the pair who are clearly mid-way through a heated argument, posturing and gesturing wildly at each other.

Niall inserts himself into the fray fearlessly and Harry gets up and starts striding over to assist but a movement to his right catches his eye. It’s Louis. Actually, it’s Louis jumping over his desk, clearing it in one leap and making a beeline toward Niall and the two people embroiled in the argument. Another man comes running from a door to the back area and soon there are three men trying to deal with the situation. Harry decides to hang back, not wanting to get in the way, but staying close enough to step in if he’s needed.

One man is a vampire, that much Harry can tell from his appearance, but based on his demeanour and how distraught he looks, he suspects he’s been body swapped and is likely a human. Niall somehow manages to convince him to step away and wraps an arm around his shoulders, walking him over to a chair in the corner and sitting them both down. Louis and the other DoLaR officer, Liam, Harry sees on his name tag, are speaking with the second man, who is now much calmer although clearly furious about something. After another minute, Liam heads over to where Niall is with the first man, and Louis walks the other man to the other side of the centre and deposits him on a chair.

“Alright everyone, shows over,” Louis chirps as he comes past Harry and throws him a wink. “Aye up, Harry.”

“Hi Louis,” Harry says and falls in step behind him. They stop a little ways from where Liam, Niall and the vampire are sitting, Liam crouched on the ground and Niall smiling brightly as the vampire laughs. Niall’s sense of humour is a clear winner and a great diffuser. From this distance, he can’t make out everything that Niall is saying, but when he hears the word  _ orgasmatron _ and the vampire's eyes very nearly bug out of his head, he can’t help but laugh.

Liam overbalances and lands on his arse and Louis cackles loudly beside him. “That your doing?” Louis asks and hip-checks Harry who is now blushing furiously.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Lou.” The pet name falling from his lips before he can stop himself. 

Louis turns and looks at him quizzically, brow quirked and a smirk forming on his beautiful features. Harry wants to simultaneously be swallowed up by the floor to hide his embarrassment and to kiss this gorgeous man senseless. Instead, he opts to smirk right back at him. 

“Oh, you’re a cheeky one, aren’t you…  _ Haz _ .”

Harry is fairly sure he’s just won at life so he hip-checks Louis right back. It’s slightly harder than he’d intended, his enthusiasm getting the better of him, and Louis stumbles, gripping onto Harry’s bicep in the process to steady himself. His hand lingers longer than necessary and Harry doesn’t miss the gentle, exploratory squeeze Louis gives his muscle before trailing his fingers down to the inside of Harry’s elbow. Harry is going to melt into a puddle on the floor but not before he asks Louis on that date.

“So… fancy going on a date with me?”

Louis looks up at him through his long eyelashes as his smirk morphs into a shy smile. “Thought you’d never ask.”

They’re interrupted by Niall and Liam wandering back over. Niall is beaming with a Cheshire Cat grin and a swagger in his gait. “How’s it going over here then?” Niall asks and prods Harry in the stomach, casting his gaze to where Louis still has his hand on Harry’s arm.

“Really, really well. Louis and I are going on a date,” Harry offers proudly.

“Atta boy, Harold.”

“Hello again, Niall. Care to share?”

“Just happy to see my boy following through, is all.”

“I’m standing right here, Niall.”

“Yes, love,” Niall says dismissively and then addresses Louis again. “So, has he told you about the date he has planned?”

Louis lets his hand trail up and down Harry’s arm and goose pimples break out all over Harry’s body from his touch. Louis looks intently into his eyes and Harry quickly realizes that he’s already completely gone for him, Louis has him in the palm of his hand. “No, he hasn’t yet but I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.”

Liam clears his throat to get their attention. “Sorry to interrupt this… whatever this is, but we’d best get back to work. Niall, why don’t we head back to the office to see Phil?”

Harry drags his gaze from Louis’ and looks at Liam confusedly. “Huh?” 

“Liam here has a proposition for me,” Niall says happily.

“Liam! You’re a married man. Tsk, tsk,” Louis chides goodnaturedly.

Liam rolls his eyes. “Not that kind of proposition, you wanker. I just thought after seeing Niall handle that difficult situation he would make an excellent Team Leader of the Human Support and Intervention Team. We’ve been struggling to find a replacement for Theo and I reckon Niall here could be just what we need and he seems keen to explore the possibility.”

“Yup! Bring it on,” Niall says and presents his fist for Liam to bump.

“Oh my god!” Harry exclaims. “So he’d get to stay and not have to go back to the human world?”

Niall and Liam both nod and Niall straightens his shoulders, tilting his head to the side. “Couldn’t leave my new best mate now, could I? What would you do without your wingman?”

Harry launches himself at Niall and brings him into a tight hug, arms wrapped around his neck. “This is the best news I’ve ever heard,” Harry says into Niall’s hair, holding him tight.

“How long have you two known each other again?” Louis queries from behind them, a teasing lilt in his voice.

Harry pulls back and turns, but leaves his arm draped over Niall’s shoulders. “We’ve become very close over the last thirty-six hours. Inhabiting each other’s bodies will do that.”

“Apparently,” Louis says with a smirk.

“Alright!” Liam says, clapping his hands together. “Let’s head out back and find Phil, best make sure this is doable before you guys get too excited.”

Harry reluctantly lets Niall go, and he and Liam head off out back, but Harry is quickly distracted by his soon-to-be-boyfriend standing before him looking radiant and smiling broadly at Harry. He might be getting ahead of himself slightly. Whatever. It’s fate. He’s sure of it.

Louis rests a hand on his waist and cocks his hip. “So… that’s good news I take it?”

“The best. I was going to miss him so much. Crazy right?” Harry chuckles, still floored by this morning's events.

“Friends can be hard to come by, good ones even harder, and it seems like you two fit hand-in-glove.”

“He’s a great guy. Liam seems pretty impressed too. Hopefully that Phil guy will be as well.”

“Liam could sell ice to Eskimos so I’d say it’s a sure thing as long as they can find a way around the Department’s red tape. They’ll probably want to keep Niall on a fairly short leash initially, and obviously he won’t be able to access the shimmer, but I reckon it’s a done deal. You ready for a more permanent house guest?”

“Yeah, for sure. Although… my cat likes him better than me,” Harry says with a shrug. “What does that say?”

“That your cat has terrible taste and you should be spending less time worrying about that and more time thinking up brilliant and interesting dates to take me on,” Louis says, smiling from ear to ear.

“I heartily concur. How do you feel about stargazing?”

The fond on Louis’ face is confirmation enough for Harry. Stargazing it is, then.


	4. Assets

It’s a relatively busy Thursday night at the local bar, the music is pumping out of the speakers mounted on the walls and Louis can’t help but pop his hip exaggeratedly as the bass drops. He isn’t normally so overt with his moves but he has a special audience to impress this evening and he doesn’t need to make eye contact with him to feel Harry’s gaze burning into him from across the room.

“Your shot, mate,” Liam says as he hands Louis the pool cue, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve set it up  _ perfectly _ for you.”

Louis checks the table and Liam has, in fact, set him up for a great angle. He’s unlikely to pot the ball, but that’s long since passed being the aim of the game. He stalks around the table, catching Harry’s eye as he goes, offering him a cheeky wink. The object of his affection is sitting in a booth with Zayn and they’re huddled together talking about god only knows what. They’d hit it off almost immediately upon being introduced, which is unusual for vampires, but then again Harry is constantly surprising him. Harry and Zayn have spent most of the evening talking in hushed tones over nursed beers and Louis has an inkling that he might be the main subject of discussion if their frequent glances and nods in his direction are anything to go by.

Louis leans down to line up his shot, pausing before deciding to up the ante a little and brings his knee up onto the edge of the table giving Harry an absolute eyeful, skin-tight jeans pulling taut over his arse. He knows how to work his main asset so he waits for a beat, making sure Harry gets his fill, milking the moment for all it’s worth as Niall and Liam smirk and shake their heads across the other side table at his brazen behaviour. He takes his shot and it misses, of course, not that he cares at this point, far too distracted by other, more important, things. Sliding his leg slowly off the table he stands and adjusts himself in his jeans and then saunters back toward Niall and Liam, not looking back at Harry.

“You’re gonna be the death of him, you know that right?” Niall says through a fit of muffled giggles.

Louis hands the cue off to Liam. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re getting at, Niall,” he says, innocence laced in his words but he’s not fooling anyone and that’s just fine. They might be out for an impromptu  _ Welcome To The Merged World _ get-together for Niall but that doesn’t mean Louis can’t have a bit of extra fun... and flirting with Harry is nothing  _ but _ fun.

They’ve been texting back and forth for the last couple of days and Louis is loving it, getting to know Harry and finding their quick banter and complementary senses of humour a perfect match. It’s been a busy time with lots of changes in Harry’s life now that Niall has moved into his spare room and it’s been wonderful to be able to share that with him.

Niall had indeed wowed Phil during his impromptu interview and they’d spent the rest of Tuesday sorting through a pile of paperwork and red tape to formalize the arrangement. Plans were made for him to be taken across the shimmer earlier today to pack up his belongings and put them in storage as well as getting his affairs in order and sorting out everything for his initial absence. Travelling abroad was the cover story they’d gone with, if only people knew exactly how  _ far _ abroad he was actually going. They’d decided on a trial period of six months to see how things went and Harry had generously made space for his new, more permanent, house guest in his home.

Harry had grumbled that Shamus was almost as thrilled as him and has even taken to sleeping in Niall’s room at night, something he had never done with Harry. Apparently, Harry had been a tad put out for around five minutes until he saw them together, Shamus curled at the end of Niall’s bed as he pottered around his room, making himself at home. Louis had been supportive, to a point, but couldn’t resist winding him up as well which Harry had moaned about, pout evident in his texts, but Louis suspected he also enjoyed quite a lot.

Louis takes a swig of his beer as he watches Liam line up for what will most certainly be the winning shot. That’s alright though, Louis has had about enough of this flirting-from-afar caper anyway. Liam pots his last ball and Louis pulls him in for a congratulatory hug.

“Nice game, Lou,” Liam offers but Louis’ gaze has settled on Harry who is staring right back at him and it’s like there’s no one else on the planet but the two of them.

“Mmmmm… yeah, good game. I’m just gonna...”

Niall says something behind him, crude, no doubt, but Louis is already five steps away and making a beeline for Harry who has him in some sort of tractor beam, pulling him in. Louis is so gone for this man it’s absurd. He’s never felt like this before; so drawn to someone, so enamoured, so helpless to resist.

“Hey, Louis,” Zayn says as Louis reaches the booth.

“Hey, Zayn,” Louis replies but doesn’t take his eyes off Harry.

Louis senses Zayn looking back and forth between them but he doesn’t break his stare. Zayn clears his throat. “Right, well, I think that’s my cue to… uhm… be anywhere else but here,” Zayn says with a chuckle and grabs his beer, sliding out of the seat and disappearing off into the crowd.

“Did you win?” Harry asks with a smirk.

“No.”

“Awwww, sorry to hear that, Lou.”

“Yeah? Should I go back and challenge Liam to a rematch?” Louis asks, returning Harry’s smirk.

“Don’t you bloody dare. Get your arse in here,” Harry says and lays his arm across the back of the seat.

Louis cocks his hip suggestively. “Why is it only ever my arse that gets invited places?” 

Harry grins. “It really is a very nice arse.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“But I’m kinda fond of the whole package, to be honest, your arse is just the icing on the cake. Care to join me?”

“Seeing as you asked so nicely,” Louis says and slides in by Harry’s side, setting his beer down on the table. Louis twists around to face him, bending his leg up onto the seat, and pressing his knee and shin into Harry’s thigh. He feels the warmth from Harry’s body immediately, a slight scent and cologne mixed with something earthy, and all Harry, enveloping him and spiking his arousal.

Harry lets his outstretched hand drop onto Louis’ shoulder and starts to rub circles with his thumb. “How was work today?”

Louis takes a sip of his beer. “Ooohhhh… we’re doing small talk, how lovely,” Louis teases and earns an eye roll from Harry. “My day was wondrous, thank you, Harold.”

“Ugh… don’t you start that nonsense too. It’s just Harry.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Make what easy?” Louis asks and leans a little further into Harry’s touch.

“Wooing you.”

The flush that rampages up Louis chest and neck happens instantly and without his permission and he runs his fingers across his forehead, swiping his fringe in a nervous habit. “I’m not sure they call it that anymore.”

“Sure they do. What else would you call it?”

Harry hasn’t taken his eyes off him since he arrived at the table and it’s making Louis’ his skin tingle in delight. “Dunno. Dating maybe?” Louis offers and he’s going for aloof but his voice doesn’t seem to be on the same page, cracking at the end of his last word.

“Call it what you want, Lou, but it doesn’t change anything. I’m gonna woo you, date you, sweep you off your feet like nothing you’ve ever known.”

The intensity of Harry’s gaze is making Louis hot all over, sweat prickling under his arms and on his lower back. Louis’ hand is resting on his thigh and it itches to move over to Harry’s, to feel the muscles through his jeans, to see what sort of reaction it would elicit.

“That’s some big talk there, Haz. You got the game to back it up?”

Harry smiles the most ridiculously sexy smile and Louis very nearly melts into his seat. He’s out of his depth and drowning in Harry but he doesn’t want to call for help. “Oh yeah, I’ve got game. Don’t worry about that. Gonna woo the fuck out of you, Lou.”

Louis swallows forcibly, feeling like he’s adrift on a choppy sea, and the only land in sight is Harry. He has to regain some semblance of control here. “Y-yeah?” He stammers, breaths shaky. He moves his hand and lays it on Harry’s thigh. It has the desired effect and Harry falters, eyes darting down to their laps, a small moan escaping his lips. “What’s step one in this wooing plan of yours then?”

“Huh?” Harry asks distractedly before his eyes snap back up to Louis’. “Oh! Well, asking you out was step one, step two was flirting over text.” Harry has clearly gotten his footing again and brings his free hand down to slide over the top of Louis’. “This here, tonight, is step three and step four is when I whisk you off on our weekend getaway.”

Harry rubs his thumb over the backs of Louis’ knuckles and Louis feels like he’s on fire, every molecule in his body ready to combust. A shout from across the bar draws Louis’ attention and he turns to see Zayn and Liam high-fiving as a disgruntled looking Niall shakes his head in defeat. Louis turns back and catches Harry staring at his neck, the perfect bite spot for a vampire. The bolt of electricity that courses through Louis’ body at the mere thought of Harry sinking his fangs into his skin is almost enough to ignite the desire that’s welling up inside of him.

Harry’s eyes fly back to Louis’, the look of panic crystal clear. “Shit, sorry, Lou. That was really-“

“Hot,” Louis finishes for him.

Harry stares for a moment, gaping at him, and then rolls his head back, groaning. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

“That’s what I said!” Niall shouts as he slides into the other side of the booth, Liam scooting in beside him and Zayn setting down a tray of beers before sitting on the single chair butting up against the end of the table.

“That’s what who said?” Liam asks as he takes his fresh beer.

“Nothing,” Louis says with a chuckle and a shake of his head, spinning around and dropping his foot to the floor to face Liam and Niall. He leans forward and takes another beer for himself and then one for Harry, placing it in front of him. He settles against the seat cushion, pressing back into Harry’s arm and he hopes that he takes the hint. He shouldn’t have been concerned as Harry drapes his arm over Louis’ shoulder, hand coming to rest on his rib cage and pulling him in tight against his side. Louis smiles and lets his hand find its way back onto Harry’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Louis senses Harry’s breath on his ear even before he speaks and it sends a shiver down his spine. “So, are you looking forward to our first date?”

Louis nods and it all feels so intimate; sitting here like this, sharing breath and space and body heat in their little bubble while their friends chat happily around them. The music has gotten louder and Louis has to turn his head and talk into Harry’s ear as Harry looks straight ahead and leans down. “You gonna treat me right, be the perfect gentleman?”

They’ve been flirting and playing and teasing for days now, but Louis doesn’t want to come across as easy to get. It’s not that he thinks Harry would ever treat him with anything other than the utmost respect, but still, it doesn’t hurt to lay down some ground rules. 

“Of course, Lou. You deserve nothing but the best, and I’m going to give it to you in spades,” Harry says, the low timbre of his voice reverberating through Louis’ body and goose pimpling his skin.

Louis wants to kiss him so badly that he can practically taste it but it’s neither the time or the place for that now. He wants it to be right, just the two of them, not with their friends gawking on. He can also read his own desires well enough to know that once he starts kissing Harry, he’s not going to want to stop, and a quick handjob in the bathroom of some bar isn’t how he wants their first time go. 

Louis smiles and tucks himself under Harry’s arm and Harry pulls him in closer. The conversation continues around him and he rests his head against Harry’s chest, feeling it rise and fall and he talks. He’s so big and strong and Louis lets himself enjoy just being held, safe and secure, the alcohol running through his veins giving him a lovely buzz. He lets his hand wander up and down the inner seam of Harry’s jeans, never venturing too far, just enough to amuse himself with Harry’s shifting hips when Louis gets closer to his bulge before trailing back toward his knee.

They call it a night just before eleven, all of them needing to work the next day. The street outside is quiet as they say their goodbyes; Liam, Zayn, and Louis are heading in one direction and Harry and Niall in the other. The other boys give Harry and Louis some space, like the wonderful friends they are, and loiter near the kerb under the lamplight.

“So… I’m really looking forward to Saturday,” Harry says as he turns and wraps his arms around Louis’ waist.

Louis looks up and is struck by how truly beautiful Harry is, the light is haloing around his face and making him look ethereal and utterly breathtaking. Louis brings his arms up and threads his fingers behind Harry’s head. “Mmmm… me too. Ready to be swept off my feet.”

“You know, I could just sweep you off your feet now and carry you all the way home.”

“Harold, how very dare you! What kind of boy do you think I am?” He asks faux innocently.

“I think you’re perfect,” Harry murmurs pressing his fingers into the base of Louis’ spine. “And anyway, what kind of boy do you think  _ I _ am? I was simply offering to carry you home and deposit you on your doorstep. Chivalry isn’t dead, you know.”

“Maybe so, but you couldn’t carry me all that way, even with these arms…” Louis trails off and brings his hands down to caress Harry’s muscled arms. In one swift motion, Harry effortlessly lifts him into the air and Louis finds himself upside down, staring at Harry’s arse. “Harold!” Louis shrieks. “Unhand me you brute!”

“Nope!” Harry shouts and slaps Louis’ arse playfully. The other boys catcalling from the edge of the road. 

Harry walks them over and Liam’s face comes into view, bending down to Louis’ eye level. “You alright there, Lou?”

Louis plants his hands on the backs of Harry’s knees and pushes himself up. “Fine thanks, never better.”

“Do you need a hand?” Zayn offers unhelpfully.

“No thanks, Harry here is just trying to demonstrate that chivalry isn’t dead.”

Surprisingly it’s Niall that finally comes to his rescue. “Hey Haz, reckon you could show Louis your chivalry on Saturday instead? I’m beat.”

Harry huffs out a laugh and slides Louis to the ground. Louis swats him in the chest. “Heeeeyyyy…” Harry says and grabs ahold of Louis’ hand. Louis looks up into his eyes and he wants so desperately to lean in and kiss him and for a moment he sees the same desire flash across Harry’s face. But they each quell the urge and instead Louis raises on his toes, placing a soft kiss to Harry’s cheek.

“Night, Harry.”

When he pulls back Harry is looking at him with such a fond expression and he knows he’s done the right thing. Harry runs his fingertips down the side of Louis’ face and leans in, laying a chaste kiss to his other cheek.

“Night, Lou.”

“Bye Harry, bye Niall,” Liam says as Zayn takes hold of Louis’ hand and pulls him away.

“Catch ya laters!” Niall replies and comes up behind Harry, grabbing him by the hips and pushing him down the street. “Night, Louis!”

Louis and Harry hold their gaze for as long as they can before turning and allowing their friends to drag them off into the night.


	5. Whisk Me Away

Harry loads the last of the gear into his SUV, the morning light breaking over the distant mountains, bathing the treetops in an amber hue. It’s a clear day and all reports are for perfect stargazing weather this evening for his and Louis’ first official date.

The night out at the bar had been one of the best nights of Harry’s life and he’s been replaying it on a loop in his head ever since. Louis had been cheeky and tactile and flirty and so unbelievably beautiful that Harry had barely been able to contain himself. The way he had bent himself over the pool table, arse out and teasing Harry mercilessly, had taken every ounce of self-control Harry possessed not to haul him off to some secluded corner and have his way with him. Of course, Harry knew Louis was simply testing him and making sure Harry was truly the stand-up guy he professed to be, and Harry wasn’t about to let him down. Louis deserves the world and he’ll be damned if isn’t going to give it to him, and then some.

But Louis wasn’t the only good thing about Niall’s welcome drinks. There was also Zayn. Harry had felt an instant kinship with him when they met and not just because they’re both vampires. Zayn has a calmness and confidence that rolls off him in waves, not that he’s aloof, quite the contrary, but he managed to allay a number of fears when it came to Louis and their burgeoning relationship that’d had a settling influence on Harry. Having experienced first hand the impact of prejudice directed toward vampires, in particular, in the merged world, Harry was concerned about the potential impacts on Louis if they were to start dating. Zayn and Liam’s situation is a mirror of his and Louis’ and Zayn had talked openly and honestly about the challenges they had faced and overcome together. That was the key, he’d said, taking one day at a time, trusting each other and communicating, but ultimately it was about doing it together.

Harry does one final check of his gear and closes the boot, coming round to the driver's side and jumping inside. The engine comes to life and he pops Louis’ address into the sat-nav. He’s only a five-minute drive away and as Harry reverses out onto the road the adrenaline starts pumping through his veins. He’s so excited for their little escape and getting to spend some quality, uninterrupted time with Louis.

Their flirtations have been growing steadily, culminating in their goodbye on the footpath outside the bar. Harry had wanted so badly to kiss Louis, the lamplight casting shadows across his face as Louis looked up at him from under his eyelashes. It took every ounce of willpower to resist, but resist he did; the promise of their overnight getaway and the desperate desire to get this right had ensured their first kiss was going to remain unrequited for another couple of days. Harry just didn’t want a quick and sloppy, slightly-drunken kiss on a street outside a bar, Louis is precious and special and Harry wants to give him everything he’s ever wanted. 

It’s still early, and as he drives along the mostly empty streets he thinks about his plans for their time together, first kisses aside, there’s so much he wants to do. When they arrive, he wants to go hiking to the waterfall for a swim, then return to camp for dinner around the fire, then the main event; stargazing. He’s probably most looking forward to that, it’s one of his favourite pastimes and knowing how much Louis enjoys it too makes it all the more special. Then, of course, there’s the  _ other _ main event. Harry isn’t sure how far Louis will want to take things but all indications are that he’s keen. True to his word, though, Harry will be the perfect gentlemen… right up until Louis gives him the green light, of course. 

He pulls up outside the apartment building and sees Louis just inside the foyer. He must sense Harry’s arrival and looks up, smile beaming as he picks up his bags and comes outside. He looks so soft, dressed in grey sweatpants and a black hoodie, and Harry’s heart skips a beat. Harry gets out and goes to the back of the vehicle, opening the boot as Louis comes down the path.

“Morning, Haz.”

“Hey, Lou. Let me take your bag,” Harry says as he reaches for Louis’ backpack. Louis hands it over and Harry places it inside, leaving Louis with his smaller rucksack. “You ready for our adventure?”

“Mhmmm… just need one thing before we go.”

“Yeah?” Harry tilts his head curiously. Louis nods and steps forward, hesitating briefly before opening his arms and pulling Harry into a tight embrace. Harry buries his face into Louis’ neck, taking a moment to breathe in his sweet smell, freshly showered and just a hint of cologne. “You smell good.”

“Smell pretty good yourself,” Louis says as he pulls back, letting his hands trail down to Harry’s chest, resting them there and looking up into Harry’s eyes. Louis raises up on his toes and pecks a kiss to Harry's cheek. “Come on, let’s get this show on the road, we’ve got stars to gaze at.”

Harry squeezes Louis’ hips. “Or I could just gaze at your eyes all day?”

Louis pats his chest playfully and turns, walking toward the passenger side door. Harry doesn’t miss the way he sways his hips for extra emphasis. He spins around as he opens the door and smirks. “I think you might’ve confused my arse with my eyes.”

Harry grins and shakes his head. “You’re evil.”

Louis giggles. “Get in the car, idiot. Time to whisk me away!”

Harry goes easily, keen to get their weekend underway, a newfound excitement bursting inside him now that Louis has definitely set the tone, leaving Harry with a definite sense of hope about how far Louis is going to want to take their relationship.

They jump in the car and buckle up, Louis kicking his shoes off and tucking his legs under his bum. He winds the window down and pulls a bottle of water from his rucksack, popping in the cupholder as Harry starts the engine and punches in the campsite location on the sat-nav.

“Should only be a little over an hour until we’re there,” Harry says as he guides the car away from the kerb. “Did you want to put some music on?”

“Nah… I’d prefer to just chat if that’s okay? Music in the car makes me queasy.”

“And my voice is better?”

Louis chuckles. “Yeah, it’s soothing, actually.”

“Don’t think anyone has ever described it that way before.”

“Really? Well, it is. You can take my word for it.”

“I will,” Harry nods, particularly pleased with this development. “Bodes well for us, you know, going forward,” he says and catches Louis’ shy smile out of the corner of his eye. 

“Indeed, Harold. When we’re old and grey you can put me to sleep with your monotone drawl.”

“Heeeyyyyy…”

“Point proven.”

“Fair enough,” Harry agrees with a chuckle and merges out onto the motorway. Louis presses the button to wind his window up as Harry accelerates to the speed limit and sets the cruise control, relaxing back into his seat and resting his free hand on the middle console. 

Louis shifts in his seat, changing positions to angle toward Harry. He reaches over and for a moment Harry thinks he’s going to take his hand, but he goes for his water bottle instead. Louis takes a swig and sets it back in the cup holder, hand hovering for a beat. Harry turns his hand over and Louis sighs happily, laying his hand in Harry’s and lacing their fingers together. 

“I’m so excited for this trip, can’t believe you suggested this place. I brought my good camera and everything. Gonna take some shots to show Billy.”

“Mhmmm… it’s beautiful there, you’re going to love it. So much to see. Thought we’d hike to the waterfall today for a swim and some lunch?”

“Oooohhh… can we swim under the waterfall? I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Harry says and grips Louis hand a bit tighter. “Can’t wait to show you, Lou.”

Louis hums to himself. “I like when you call me Lou.”

“Yeah? I like when you call me Harold,” he says sheepishly.

“You dirty liar. You said you hated it!”

Harry smiles and chances a glance over at Louis. His eyes are sparkling and his fringe is falling perfectly on his tanned forehead, thin pink lips forming an adorable pout.

“Awwww, sorry, baby,” Harry says, the endearment falling from his mouth unintentionally.

“Can we add  _ baby _ to the list of things I like having you call me,” Louis murmurs sweetly.

“Yeah… Yeah, baby, we definitely can.”

Louis regales Harry with stories of his prior stargazing trips and that he’d stopped because his ex wasn’t interested in  _ trekking all the way out to the middle of fucking nowhere to look at the sky _ . Harry wants to track the idiot down and thank him for being such a dickhead that he gave Louis up. How anyone could not appreciate him for the amazing person he is confounds him, but he’s eternally grateful nonetheless.

Harry tells him all the details of the body swap with Niall…  _ all _ the details and Louis is nearly hyperventilating by the end of it.

“I can’t believe…” Louis says through fits of laughter. “I can’t believe that you didn’t see that coming. Of  _ course _ he’d wanna give it go! Can you blame him?”

Harry giggles. “No, I guess not. But like, it was  _ so _ fucking awkward. When he came out into the garden looking all blissed out, in  _ my _ body, I mean…” Harry whines and it starts Louis off again, desperately trying to suck air into his lungs as peals of laughter ring out in the car. “And Shamus was just sitting up in his tree, scowling at me and judging the entire situation.”

“ _ Harry… _ you gotta stop, I can’t… I can’t breathe.”

“You’re just as bad as Niall,” Harry huffs. “Can you not see it from my perspective? It was  _ mortifying _ , Lou.”

Louis manages to regain a small amount of composure. “Awwwwww, I’m sorry. It must’ve been hilarious, I mean, horrendous.”

“You’ll keep. I’m gonna chuck you in the goddamn waterfall head first.”

“Awwwwww babe, don’t be like that.”

Harry grins so wide he feels like his face is going to split in two. “Can we add  _ babe  _ to the list of things I like having you call me?” Harry brings their joined hands to his lips and kisses Louis’ knuckles, 

Louis inhales deeply and sighs on the exhale. “Yeah. Yeah, babe, we can.” 


	6. The Waterfall

As they pull off the main road and onto the dirt track that leads to the campsite, Louis lets the cool morning breeze whip his fringe against his forehead. It’s a glorious day and so perfect he thinks he could happily live in this moment forever. Harry is humming a tune beside him as he drives, one hand steady on the wheel, the other still gripping Louis’ hand in his own. Everything feels so natural between them; easy conversation and teasing banter tinged with an underlying current of sexual tension. Louis’ body is already thrumming in anticipation and they’ve not even made camp yet. 

It’s been a while since he’s dated someone seriously, his last relationship fizzling out pitifully after they’d realised they just weren’t suited for each other. He probably knew it wasn’t right for months before it ended, but he’d held on hoping things would improve. Ultimately, he felt a sense of relief when it was over, the stress and strain of manufacturing emotions that simply weren’t strong enough to warrant the effort had been draining and felt like a chore, which is no way to live. But with Harry, it already feels different. There’s a kindness and understanding that radiates from Harry and envelopes him, making his heart beat faster and his hopes rise higher every time they’re together.

They enter a small clearing, the canopy of trees parting and allowing the sun’s rays to shine down on the green grass of the campsite, like a little oasis in the forest. Harry pulls the SUV into a spot near the tree line not too far from the small amenities block, but far enough so as not to have it encroaching on where they’ll set up camp.

Harry squeezes his hand as he shuts off the engine. “What do you think?”

Louis leans over the console and lays a kiss on his cheek. “It’s perfect. Thank you for bringing me here. When Billy showed me his stunning pictures I knew this was somewhere I had to come. Still can’t believe you planned this without even knowing.”

“Must be fate,” Harry says and ducks his head shyly, yet another trait that Louis adores. He’s always so humble and the bashfulness is utterly endearing.

“Reckon you’re right.” Louis waits until Harry looks up and he gives him a warm smile. The urge to kiss him properly is strong, but Louis wants Harry to be the one to make that move when the time is right, so he lets Harry off the hook for now.

“Okay,” Harry says as he closes the windows and takes the keys from the ignition. “Let’s unpack a few things and then we can hit the trail.”

They unload all the items they need to stake their claim on the prime campsite; the large four-person tent and annex as well as a couple of folding chairs. The rest of their gear can stay secure in the car until they return from their hike.

Harry is surprisingly outdoorsy and handy, which Louis wouldn't have immediately thought and watching him flex his muscles as he pushes up the roof section of their tent makes Louis a little weak at the knees. His mind drifts once again to images of Harry holding him up with one arm against a vertical surface and he wonders if Harry has imagined similar scenarios. He hopes so.

Harry collects a pile of firewood and kindling and some rocks to make a firepit while Louis gets changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, popping on a snap-back and his hiking boots. Harry changes as Louis packs their smaller rucksacks to take with them; sunscreen and plenty of water, his camera and some snacks he’d brought to keep them energized. He tucks his swimmers and a towel into his bag just in case and Harry grabs his from the car.

They plan their hike, checking the map on the main board and agree the waterfall will be their destination. It will only be a few hours for the round-trip so they should be back in time for a late lunch.

“Okay, Lou. Ready to go?”

“Yup! Let’s find us a waterfall.”

They head off down the trail, the damp air surrounding and keeping them cool. The terrain is steep as they move through the forest and Louis opens up his mind to listen to the flora around them. It’s peaceful, the tall trees and thick undergrowth emitting calming auras and soothing sounds.

“What’s it like?” Harry asks as he slows and turns, looking up into the canopy.

“Hmmm…?”

“Being a yelk? What do you feel?”

“Ohhh… it’s, uhm… it’s hard to explain.” Louis has always struggled to put it into words, the way his senses pick up the messages and feeds from the plant life.

Harry takes Louis’ hand and squeezes it encouragingly, urging Louis to continue. He considers the best way to describe something that is essentially indescribable. 

“It’s not like a conversation, as such, it’s more of an understanding. As though I’m at one with their world and just a part of the chain of communications being put out there. They don’t have emotions or anything specifically tangible, it’s more like a stream of consciousness, like a river of charged static, ebbing and flowing all around us.”

Harry looks around, letting the breeze wash over him. “It sounds amazing, Lou. Do you like it? Being out here amongst it? Or is it overwhelming?”

Louis closes his eyes and lets the waves of electricity caresses his body, making his skin tingle and goose pimple. “I love it,” he says and opens his eyes. “I’ve always loved it. Some people find it too much to take, but not me, it’s just always felt normal, special, you know?”

Harry nods keeping hold of Louis’ hand. “I’ve always been fascinated by it and seeing you out here, so calm and at one with nature, it’s... magical.”

“Mmmm… I don’t get out to places like this as often as I should. It’s grounding.”

“Well, we’ll have to make it a regular occurrence,” Harry says with a smile and turns, letting go of Louis’ hand so they can continue along the path, single file. Louis’ heart flutters at the implication of Harry’s words, the possibility that he’s seeing this as something more serious than just a first date meaning they’re both on the same page with how they’re feeling.

The trail winds its way up to the crest of the mountain and they walk in a comfortable silence, Louis falling in step behind Harry. He loves that he doesn’t push Louis to make conversation and rather just lets him immerse himself in the beauty of the forest. As they reach the peak, the trees become more sparse and the pathway leads them to a lookout to the right. Harry guides them to the edge and they both lean on the wooden railing, looking out over the vista before them.

“Wow. It’s beautiful from up here,” Louis says in awe. Harry comes up behind him and unzips his rucksack, handing Louis’ water bottle to him before retrieving his own, settling in beside him and leaning down on the railing.

“There sure is a whole lotta world out there,” Harry muses. “Makes it even more amazing that we found each other,” he adds wistfully.

The butterflies in Louis’ stomach take flight and he feels a shiver through his body at Harry’s words. “We’ve got a lot to thank Astrid for. We should send her a fruit basket or something,” Louis says with a chuckle.

“Maybe we should plant her a new bed of azaleas?” Harry offers with a teasing tone.

Louis laughs. “I’m sure she’d appreciate that,” he says sarcastically.

“Yeah, maybe a fruit basket then.”

“Mmmm…” Louis says as he raises up on his tiptoes and leans over the railing. “Oh look! There’s the waterfall.”

Harry follows his line of sight, peering down from their perch on the platform. “Oh yeah! Come on, let’s go.”

“Hang on, just wanna grab some shots from up here.” Louis takes out his camera and adjusts the settings, getting some good images. He manages to grab a sneaky shot of Harry too, hair blowing in the breeze and his side profile cast in shadow. He’s stunning and Louis has to pinch himself to believe he’s truly here with him.

Louis lowers his camera, a question popping into his head. “I just realized I never asked what you do for work.”

Harry turns to face him, his loose tank fluttering and giving a glimpse of one of his pecs and a nipple. It’s puffy and puckered and Louis’ mouth goes dry, imagining getting his lips around it. He can’t help but bring his camera back up to his face to snap a few more shots as Harry starts to speak.

“Well… I’m actually a professor at a research institute. I specialize in merged world politics and culture.”

Louis lowers his camera. “Oh, that sounds-“

“Really fucking boring, I know,” Harry says with a self-deprecating chuckle.

“No! I wasn’t going to say that, you idiot. I was  _ going _ to say that sounds really interesting.”

Harry’s expression morphs into something like hope. “Yeah? Yeah, I really like it. I feel like I’m contributing to making things better, you know?”

“You really are full of surprises, Harry.”

“Thanks, Lou. Come on, let’s get down to the bottom of this waterfall and cool off.”

Harry. Wet Harry. Partially  _ naked _ Harry. Now that’s something Louis can get behind one-hundred percent. “Lead on!”

They make their way back to the trail and down the other side of the mountain, passing under the waterfall at the mid-way point and Louis gets some pictures of the sun's rays glinting off the spray. It’s a welcome respite from the heat of the day and Louis is looking forward to a proper swim. He’d packed his dark blue trunks with the red anchors that show off his arse just right. He hadn’t missed Harry checking him out at their drinks night to welcome Niall and he may have purposefully been setting up his pool shots so as to be in the perfect ogling position for Harry, just to tease him. He can’t wait to see his reaction when he’s dripping wet and they’re clinging in all the right places, and hopefully he’ll get those big strong hands right where he wants them.

As the pool at the bottom of the waterfall comes into view, Harry slows and Louis comes up alongside him. “It’s… wow,” is all Louis can muster. The pool is a deep emerald green at the centre, transforming into a crystal blue as the water shallows at the edges, the sand sparkling in the sunshine as the ripples caused by the waterfall kiss the shore.

“This is even more beautiful than I remember it,” Harry murmurs. The pool is quite large, maybe fifty feet across, and the cascading water looms above them high into the air. The rock face behind the falls and surrounding on two sides is smooth, worn down by years of relentlessly pounding water. The entire scene is like an oasis with rainforest ferns jutting out from the cliffs, clinging to their small crevices for survival. There’s a mist hovering all around from the spray and a faint rainbow reaches up toward the sky. It’s breathtaking.

Before Louis even fully registers what he’s doing, he’s taking off his rucksack and bending down to unlace his boots, desperate to dive into the cool water. Harry follows suit beside him and soon they’re both shirtless and in only their shorts.

Louis allows his eyes to rake over Harry’s translucent skin, drinking him in; his abs, his obscene v-line with a hint of a happy trail; his firm pecs and pebbled nipples, so enticing and begging to be bitten.

“Lou?”

“Mmmm…?” Louis snaps himself out of his reverie to find Harry smirking at him. “Sorry, what?”

Harry grins at him and Louis flushes. “I said, did you wanna change into your trunks?

“Oh, yeah, right, yep.” Louis digs into his rucksack and pulls out his swimmers, unsure for a moment whether he should find a tree to hide behind to get changed when Harry turns and drops his shorts and boxers to the ground in one movement. Louis very nearly swallows his tongue as he’s presented with Harry’s pert arse shining in the sunlight. He quickly drops his own pants and slips on his trunks. Harry is still facing the other way, now in his own red swimmer shorts so Louis takes the opportunity to take a run at the water. “Last one in has to make the fire!” He shouts as he launches himself, cannon-balling and submerging under the welcoming water. He comes up for air, breaking through the surface and flicking his fringe off his face with a jerk of his head.

Harry is standing on the shore, hands on his hips shaking his head fondly. “Like I wasn’t going to make you a fire anyway,” Harry says with a roll of his eyes.

“You coming in or what? I’m getting lonely over here.”

Harry’s face brightens into a beaming smile as he backs up, taking it at a run and diving into the water, surfacing just in front of Louis. The water is deep and Louis kicks his legs to move away, making Harry work for it. Harry’s expression changes into one of delight and he swims forward, long arms cutting through the water effortlessly, chasing Louis down. Louis rolls over and starts swimming toward the waterfall, Harry right on his tail as he dips under the stream and pops up on the other side.

Louis backs up against the smooth rock face, feet touching the sandy bottom in the shallower water and pushes his fringe from his eyes. The anticipation builds as he waits for Harry and the possibilities of what will happen next. Louis wants to kiss him, to feel Harry’s hands all over his slick body, his warm breath caressing him, and he wants to explore Harry’s muscled torso with his own hands, holding him close.

Harry rises out of the water, hair plastered to his forehead. He stands, tall enough for his shoulders to be clear, his smattering of tattoos easily visible in the dim light in their little hideaway. Edging forward he smiles, bringing his hands up to run through his hair and showing off the muscles in his arms. Louis wants to eat him alive, but perhaps that’s best left to Harry.

“You trying to play hard to get, Lou?”

“Maybe,” Louis says, tilting his chin up in challenge.

Harry moves closer, revealing more of his gorgeous torso, only a few feet separating them now. The damp air is charged and the sound of the water hitting the rocks and lagoon provides a white-noise effect, drowning out everything else and focusing them only on each other. “I think we both know that’s a dirty lie.”

Harry's voice is sultry and commanding and arousal courses around Louis’ body. He lets his hands float on the water for a moment, swirling the water under his palms. “You calling me a liar?”

“Maybe,” Harry says with a grin and inches forward again. Louis smirks and slaps the water, splashing it up into Harry's face. He shakes it off and lurches forward, grabbing Louis’ hands and pinning them to the wall above his head. Louis sucks in a sharp breath, staring up into Harry’s eyes, desperate and pleading as the water laps between them.

“You want me, Lou?”

“ _ Yes… _ ” Louis rushes out on an exhale, limbs trembling. “Fuck, yes.”

Harry ducks his head and noses at Louis’ neck. “Want me to take you here, in our waterfall?”

“Please, Haz.” Louis never thought he was the begging type but apparently he was mistaken. 

Harry threads their fingers together and closes the distance, the water dispersing as he lines their bodies up; skin on skin, hips aligning, semi-hard cocks pushing against each other.

Louis groans and tilts his head back, bucking his pelvis to get some more friction as his feet scramble for purchase on the shifting sands beneath him.

“Didn’t think you’d be begging so soon,” Harry murmurs as he lays a line of kisses along Louis’ collarbones, sucking a nipping with his teeth.

“Didn’t… didn’t think so either, but you drive me fucking crazy,” Louis says, voice high in his throat.

“This is only the beginning,” Harry says as he works his way up to Louis earlobe, pulling at it with his lips. “Gonna give you everything you’ve ever wanted. I promise,” he breathes into Louis’ ear, sending a shudder down his spine.

Harry pulls back and looks intently into Louis’ eyes. It’s like they’re suspended, hanging in time and space, the passion burning between them and ready to erupt.

Louis whines and Harry smiles with hooded eyelids before surging forward and sealing their lips together. They open up to each other as though this is a well-practised routine, licking into the caverns of their mouths; no crevice left unexplored, no craving left unfulfilled. It’s perfect and so much more than Louis had even imagined.

The air from Harry’s breath goes deep into Louis’ lungs, sustaining him like a life force as they force their bodies together, slippery and heated, conveying all the words their mouths can’t utter, too busy consuming each other and melding to become one being.

Harry releases Louis’ hands and reaches down to grip his arse through his swimmers. “This fucking arse, I swear to god. Can barely sleep at night thinking about it,” Harry pants into Louis’ open mouth. 

Louis lets his hands trail down to Harry’s triceps. “Yeah?” He asks breathlessly. “Been dreaming about these arms, so big and strong. Bet you could hold me up with one hand while you fuck me senseless, pounding into me, making me yours.”

Harry lets out a guttural moan and digs his fingers into the waistband of Louis’ pants, sliding his lips down Louis’ neck to his chest, taking one of his nipples into his mouth and biting it. Louis cries out in ecstasy as Harry shoves his shorts down, the resistance of the water no match for Harry’s determination. They rise to the surface and Harry flings them up onto the rock shelf, landing with a slap of wet material, dealing with his own in similar fashion.

Harry lifts Louis’ legs and wraps them around his hips, holding him under his arse with one hand and slamming Louis back against the smooth rock. Their cocks grind together and Louis closes his eyes, the blackness giving way to bursts of white starlight.

“Fuck, yes.  _ More _ ,” Louis demands and brings his hands up to steeple behind Harry’s head.

“Yeah, baby, gonna give it to you good. Gonna fuck you like crazy tonight, under the stars, by the campfire, make you forget anyone else who has ever touched you.”

“Yes, Haz, make me forget,” Louis murmurs and dives back in, seeking out Harry’s mouth. It’s even more frenzied than before, their hands flying over each other’s skin, pulling and pinching with fevered touches unlike any Louis has ever felt before.

Harry slides his hand between them, taking their cocks in one huge hand, and finally giving Louis the friction he so desperately desires. Louis whines and bucks up into Harry’s firm grip, chasing his release as Harry starts to work them over with abandon, growling into Louis’ mouth and sending vibrations through his entire body.

Louis is close to the edge already, so turned on and frantic with need. There’s just one more thing he wants, one more thing he has to have. He pulls back, gasping for air and fixes Harry with a hungry stare. “Bite me, Haz. Want you to.”

Harry stills his hand and Louis feels like he’s free-falling, the electricity in the air swirling around them as he waits for Harry’s reaction. Louis has never done this before, never felt the euphoria of having a vampire bite him in the throes of passion and he’s glad he’d waited. This, right here and now with Harry, feels right. He knows it in his bones and in his soul. Harry is the one. 

One side of Harry’s mouth curls upwards and he gives a small nod. Louis watches in awe as Harry broadens his smile and parts his lips. His incisors start to grow, almost imperceptibly at first and Louis is fascinated. He watches as they extend down and over his plush bottom lip. It’s the single most arousing thing Louis has ever seen and he wants them on him, breaking through his skin and sucking the blood from his veins. 

“Oh,  _ fuck _ yeah,” Louis says and turns his head, elongating his neck and offering himself up for Harry’s fangs. 

“You’re so gorgeous, Lou. So beautiful for me,” Harry says reverently as he runs his fingers down the spot where he’ll soon puncture Louis’ skin. He replaces his fingers with his lips and kisses and suckles at this skin, starting to pump their cocks again, slowly, firmly, building the pace in anticipation of what will follow.

Louis heaves in breath after breath, held on the precipice of the abyss by Harry’s glorious torment. Finally, Louis can take no more, he has to have it now, has to know, wants to succumb. He cries out a single plea. “ _ Harry… _ ”

The only warning he gets is a sharp intake of air from Harry’s hot, wet mouth before he’s taken, careening over the edge as Harry sinks his fangs into Louis’ neck. A heat spreads throughout Louis’ entire body, the blood in his veins fizzing with sparks of electricity. His orgasm slams into him, harder and more intense than anything he’s ever felt, waves of pleasure and pain merging and crescendoing to the highest of highs. He can feel Harry sucking on him, drinking him, draining him as he comes and comes like it will never end. Harry strokes him through it as he retracts his fangs and starts licking over the wound tenderly. Louis feels weightless, held up only by Harry’s strong arms and the ebbing water of the lagoon, drifting, like he’s floating above them, out of his body and looking down at their entwined bodies. It’s surreal and magnificent and wonders if he’ll ever be able to go long without feeling it again. He hopes he won’t have to.

Harry kisses a trail up to Louis’ mouth and Louis turns his head to meet his lips, the metallic taste of his own blood still on Harry’s tongue. Louis licks inside, craving more, and Harry complies, opening up and letting Louis get his fill. It’s a heady sensation and he’s dizzy with it. 

Louis pulls back and gazes into Harry’s eyes. They’re calm and blissed out, a small smile playing on his lips. Louis returns it in kind. “Thank you,” Louis says, the only words he can manage to utter. “Thank you.”

“That was amazing, Lou. God, I’d hoped but… that was the best thing I’ve ever experienced.” When Louis doesn’t immediately respond, still struggling to form words Harry’s expression changes into one of concern. “Are you alright? Was it okay?”

“Holy shit. It was more than okay. I’ve never uhm… never done that with anyone before, a vampire, I mean, and you exceeded all my expectations and then some.”

Harry smiles, not self-satisfied or arrogant as many would in this situation, just perfectly Harry, kind and loving, and it makes his heart flutter with affection for this man, his man. “Oh, Lou, you can’t imagine how happy that makes me,” Harry says and dives in for another kiss.


	7. Stargazing

After their swim, they’d eaten their lunch on the shore, the afternoon sun and misty spray from the waterfall creating a peaceful setting for a welcome nap. When they woke, they’d held each other close and shared languid, sleepy kisses for hours as they talked about their lives and hopes for their future together. It was all happening fast but it felt so right that neither of them held back their emotions; talking openly and honestly and reassuring each other with soft touches and warm embraces.

The evening was upon them as they returned to camp and Harry had busied himself with setting up for dinner and building them a fire, just as he had promised, while Louis unpacked the rest of their things from the car and arranged their bed inside the tent. Harry had brought two single-bed roll-up mattresses in the hopes of putting them together while still allowing Louis the option to choose for them to be joined rather than forced into a situation that might’ve made him uncomfortable. Harry needn’t have worried, of course, although, the decision had earned him a grateful and passionate kiss for his consideration, so it was definitely a win.

They enjoyed a dinner of fresh salad and some marinated tofu which Harry had grilled over the fire along with skewers of halloumi, or  _ squeaky cheese _ , as Louis had referred to it. The accompanying red wine and dark cherry, liquor-infused chocolate had been the perfect ending to their meal, Harry forever casting aside the  _ shit cook _ tag Niall had jokingly thrown at him.

The campsite had remained theirs, and theirs alone, with no other travellers to share their secret enclave deep in the forest as they whiled away the evening, happy in each other’s company.

The sun has long since set and they’re laying on a blanket with soft cushions under their heads, gazing up through the canopy at the myriad of stars spread across the night sky, as the firelight dances on the leaves and branches high above.

“So,” Louis says as he turns on his side and snuggles into Harry’s chest. “Do you think Niall is throwing a party at your house while we’re away?”

Harry chuckles and brings his arm around Louis’ back, pulling him in tighter as Louis slots a leg between Harry’s. “Nah. He wouldn’t dare. He’s probably curled up on the couch with Shamus... the traitor.”

“Awww babe… don’t be jealous. Niall’s quite the catch, hard to fight against that,” Louis teases.

“Well, as long as he sticks to stealing my cat, and not my… boyfriend, then I’ll be fine.” Harry holds his breath, hoping against hope that he and Louis are on the same page, but like everything else when it comes to Louis, he shouldn’t have been concerned.

“I can assure you that your...  _ boyfriend _ , isn’t going anywhere,” Louis says as he lifts his head, a beaming smile on his face. Harry matches his smile and pulls him over onto his chest, Louis straddling his hips as he leans down and lets their lips meet chastely. Harry cranes his neck up and deepens the kiss, running his hands down Louis’ back to slide under his sweats, grabbing handfuls of his supple arse cheeks and kneading them with his fingers and palms.

Louis grinds down, tilting his pelvis back and forth, and letting out a low moan as their cocks rub against each other. He loves that Louis isn’t afraid to take the lead and show Harry what he wants, it’s refreshing and so arousing that Harry can feel himself growing harder already.

Harry breaks away from the kiss and nips at Louis’ jaw as he arches his back, pushing his arse further into Harry’s hands. “What do you want, Lou? Tell me. I’ll give you anything,” he whispers and starts to suck a love bite into Louis’ neck.

Louis grinds down again, this time with more force, making Harry groan and hold Louis in place as he meets each of his movements with gentle thrusts of his own. Louis sits up and strips off his shirt running his hands down his bare torso tantalizingly. He pulls Harry up, cradling his head to his chest and directing him to one of his nipples which Harry eagerly sucks into his mouth, biting down and flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud.

Louis gasps and rocks his hips, the delicious friction shooting sparks through Harry’s bloodstream. “I want you to fuck me, bite me, claim me. Make me feel like you did under our waterfall.”

Harry releases his nipple with a pop. “Mmmm… gladly,” he murmurs and goes for the other nipple, giving it the same treatment, alternating between them until Louis is emitting a high, constant whine. Harry flips them and sits up, stripping off his shirt and watching as Louis palms himself with one hand, the other pinching at a nipple, pulling and twisting it harshly.

“Keep doing that, don’t stop, I’ll be back in a moment,” Harry instructs and Louis nods.

Harry gets to his feet and ducks inside the tent, rummaging through his bag to find the lube and condoms he had packed hopefully. He returns to find Louis with a hand down his pants, bucking up into it as he pulls on one of his abused nipples. It’s quite the sight and one Harry would like to observe for longer, but that’s for another time; for now, he’s promised to give Louis what he wants, and he’ll never break a promise to this gorgeous man, not ever.

He drops the lube and condoms onto the rug and slides his sweats to the ground, stepping out of them, the warmth of the fire caressing his bare arse as he stands naked before Louis.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Louis says breathlessly as his hands still.

“From where I’m standing,  _ you’re _ the gorgeous one. Can’t believe I get to have you like this.” Harry drops to his knees at Louis’ feet and takes ahold of his sweats, pulling them off over his ankles. Louis bends his legs and spreads them wide, beckoning Harry with his hands. Harry crawls up between his legs and places his hands on either side of Louis’ head, lowering himself and letting their bodies naturally mould together.

Louis brings his legs up to wrap around the tops of Harry’s thighs as their mouths find each other, exploring and learning more with every movement, every breath, every whimper. The fire crackles behind them as the trees bay and rustle in the light breeze, insects and other night creatures adding to the cacophony of sounds.

Harry reaches blindly for the lube, not wanting to break apart their fused together bodies for even a second. He lifts his hips just enough to fit his hand between them and flips the cap with his thumb, bringing the tube to Louis’ hole, squirting some liquid onto the puckered rim. Louis tenses at the cold sensation and then relaxes into it, humming to himself as Harry drops the tube and starts to spread it around, revelling in the feeling of Louis so eager for him as he rolls his pelvis, encouraging Harry with every movement.

Harry dips his middle finger in up to the first knuckle, the tight muscle clenching and then releasing under his ministrations. He slides it in further and Louis arches his back, moaning into Harry’s mouth. There are no words spoken, just their bodies communicating in perfect harmony as Harry glides his finger in and out feeling the warmth of Louis’ passage as it engulfs him. He adds a second finger to join the first and Louis sucks in a breath, his hands gripping onto Harry’s shoulders as he breaks the kiss and stares intently into Harry’s eyes, smiling and nodding for him to continue. Harry keeps his movements slow but constant, letting Louis lead him and set the pace.

Twisting his wrist, Harry searches inside for Louis’ prostate, massaging his walls and feeling them give more with each stroke of his fingers. When Louis’ eyes roll into the back of his head and he lets out a small whimper, Harry knows he’s found it. “Yeah, baby, that’s it.”

“S-so good, feels so good,” Louis murmurs, barely able to contain himself.

Harry focuses his attention on the spot, rubbing it as he adds a third finger. “Let yourself go, I’ve got you.”

“Nrrgghhhh…” Louis whines, arching his back further and tilting his head back. Harry leans down and sucks one of his nipples into his mouth, earning him a low moan on a stuttered breath. He works the bud harder, Louis scratching down his back as Harry moves to the other nipple and props himself on his elbow so he can reach the first one with his fingers, pinching it and twisting it slowly until it’s taut and holding it in place for a few beats, before releasing it and repeating the process in the other direction.

Louis thrashes his head from side to side, pained little cries of  _ yes _ and  _ more _ falling from his lips as Harry pushes him closer to the edge. 

Harry stretches him out, making sure there’s room for him, the slick sounds of the lube filtering up as he maintains a relentless pace, rubbing at his spot over and over again. Louis is breathing hard, chest rising and falling, heels digging into Harry’s thighs. But Harry knows he wants to be inside Louis when he comes this time, wants him to feel the full effect when he bites him, so he withdraws his fingers and releases his nipples. Louis falls limp, panting, and looks up at Harry, his glassy eyes filled with lust and yearning. Harry can’t help himself when he leans in and captures Louis’ lips with his own. Louis cradles Harry’s head in his hands and kisses him with a fervour and passion Harry has never before experienced, and never wants to feel from anyone else as long as he lives.

Harry pulls back and picks up the condom, tearing it open and rolling it down his shaft. He adds more lube and sets it down beside them. “You ready, baby?” Harry murmurs and Louis nods, already so relaxed, his tan skin glistening with sweat and shining in the firelight, fringe dishevelled and matted on his forehead. Harry reaches forward and brushes it away from his face. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, thank you for being here, for choosing me. I’m going to make you so happy, Lou.”

“You already do. Never been this happy before, never felt so cared for,” Louis says and Harry’s heart skips a beat, so enamoured with this amazing man. Louis unlocks his ankles from behind Harry’s thighs and grabs one of the cushions, handing it to Harry as he lifts his hips for Harry to slide it under his arse. 

Harry lines up and presses the tip of his cock to Louis’ hole, he’s stretched out but it’s still going to be tight and Harry can’t wait to feel Louis around him. “Tell me if it’s too much.”

Louis nods. “I trust you. Know you’re gonna take care of me.”

“I will. Always.”

Harry plants one hand beside Louis’ rib cage, bringing the other to wrap around Louis’ cock and starts to stroke it as he pushes forward. He inches in little by little until the head pops past the rim, feeling Louis’ walls suck him in further. The sensation is overwhelming and Harry has to pause to regain his composure. He looks down at Louis who is holding his breath, mouth open on a silent gasp, eyes tightly closed. Harry’s about to speak when Louis slowly blinks open his eyes, a smile forming on his lips as he sucks in air through his nose.

“Jesus  _ Christ _ , that feels good,” Louis says, grabbing onto Harry’s hips and pulling him forward, urging Harry on. “Keep going, come on. Want you to pound that monster of a thing into me.”

Harry chuckles and huffs out a breath. “Anything for you, baby.” Harry lets go of Louis’ cock and slips his hand under Louis’ arse, lifting his hips higher and angling them upwards. He shuffles closer on his knees until the backs of Louis’ thighs are flush with the fronts of his. Harry leans down and lets his cock slip further inside, tortuously slow, eyes fixed on Louis’ as he watches for any signs of discomfort. 

The tight heat around Harry’s cock is just this side of too much and he’s ready to let go but even though Louis’ words indicate he’s ready, Harry wants to be sure. He bottoms out, pelvis flush with Louis’ arse and Louis lets out a long exhale. “Move, I’m ready, Haz.”

“Alright, baby.” Harry nods and tests the waters, rolling his pelvis and pulling out slightly before pushing back in, building his speed and depth in gradual increments. Louis starts letting out tiny whimpers with every thrust and Harry is sure he would gladly listen to only that sound for the rest of his life.

Louis reaches up and grips onto Harry’s shoulders, a smirk spreading across his face. “Go for it, show me what you’ve got.”

Harry grins and pulls almost all the way out, suspending them in time for a brief moment, before slamming back in. Louis throws his head back and cries out in ecstasy. It’s the final assurance Harry needs and he repeats the movement with a frantic but steady pace, shifting his hips and angling Louis’ arse until he hits his prostate dead on.

Louis wails with abandon and digs his nails into Harry’s shoulders, clinging on for dear life as Harry impales him on his cock. Harry can feel the sweat running down his back and his fangs are itching to be let loose but he wants to wait until Louis is ready, at that perfect moment when they can crash through the barrier and free-fall into the abyss together.

Louis reaches down with one hand and grabs his cock, stripping it furiously and looking up at Harry in anticipation and wonder. It’s time.

Harry licks his lips and lets his fangs drop as Louis’ eyes go wide and devilish grin spreading across his face. “Bite me, fucking sink your fangs into me, Haz. Wanna feel it again.”

Harry thrusts in one last time and holds steady as Louis tilts his head to the side, baring his neck for him. Harry leans down and teases his lips and tongue over the puncture wounds from earlier. His marks on Louis’ skin. His, and his alone. 

The euphoria that surges through Harry’s body as he bites down and comes is the strongest, most wonderful sensation he’s ever felt. He’s never done this to someone he loved before, and that’s what this is, love, he’s surer of it than anything else in the universe.

Louis tenses and then goes slack and pliant beneath him, happy whimpers escaping his lips as Harry feels his come between their bodies. Harry drinks from him, sucking the blood into his mouth and swallowing it down. It’s sweet like nectar, with rich and earthy undertones, and he doesn’t want to taste any other blood for the rest of his life. He hopes he never has to. 

Harry finishes and seals it over with soft licks and gentle kisses as Louis comes down from his high. Harry trails more kisses along his jaw and up to his mouth, Louis turning his head to join their lips together. Louis dives in and sucks on Harry’s tongue, moaning in delight as he tastes himself.

Louis pulls back with a final chaste kiss and wraps his hands around the back of Harry’s neck. “Mmmm… not gonna need those blood packs anymore, are you?”

Harry chuckles and pecks him on the nose. “Definitely not. Not when I’ve got the best right here.”

“That was fucking amazing,” Louis says and opens his eyes as he plays with the hairs at the base of Harry’s neck.

Harry nods in agreement. “Best ever.”

“Let’s sleep out under the stars, Haz,” Louis says lazily.

“Mhmmm… brilliant idea.” Harry pulls out and gets to his feet, a little shaky, removing the condom and throwing it onto the fire before wandering over to their tent to retrieve some blankets and a soft duvet. He returns to find Louis stroking over the puncture marks, gazing up into the treetops. “You alright?”

“Never better,” Louis says and gets to his feet and goes about arranging their fireside bed for the night. Harry places some more logs on the fire as Louis settles himself into their little nest holding up the side of the blanket for Harry to crawl in beside him and pull him close, Louis’ head pillowed on his outstretched arm.

“Thank you, Lou. I’ve never been happier.”

“Same, Haz. Same.”

The stars above shift slowly across the night sky, covering them in a heavy astral blanket as they drift off into a blissful sleep, warm and safe in each other’s arms.


	8. Epilogue

The huge  _ Welcome To Our New Home  _ banner wafts gently in the breeze, hanging over the entrance to the rear of the house. The bold rainbow-coloured letters are surrounded by printed balloons and confetti with real paper streamers cascading down and tied off at each end. It’s a glorious day, the midday sun filtering through the treetops as the group of party goers chat happily, enjoying some drinks and nibbles while they await lunch to be served.

Niall is busy at the BBQ in shorts and a low cut tank top, his  _ World’s Greatest Wingman _ snapback sitting backward on his head. Louis had laughed hysterically when he’d first worn it, Harry had only slightly rolled his eyes but was quickly won over when Niall and Louis had practically bear-hugged the life out of him.

Louis wanders back into the house where Liam and Zayn are proudly showing off their new in-home theatre system to a group of friends in the media room just off the open plan living area. It’s their pride and joy, with soft leather lounges, a huge flat screen, and a surround sound system to rival a professional set up. The work on the house had been completed a couple of weeks ago and they had excitedly moved into Astrid’s newly refurbished house, now their house, the long months of hunting for a new home finally coming to an end. Astrid had thankfully taken up the offer to relocate and all reports are she’s doing well, occupying herself with her own little garden and tending to her freshly planted azalea beds. 

Louis had been taken by surprise when Harry had asked him to move in with him only a month after their stargazing weekend away, but he had gladly accepted the offer with an abundance of tears and kisses. When it’s right, it’s just right, and Louis has never been more in love or more loved. Niall is still holed up in their spare room and they make a happy little threesome; the addition of their best friends as next-door neighbours has been the icing on the cake. 

Louis wanders over to where Harry is adding the finishing touches to one of the salads he’s been preparing for lunch. It’s an impressive spread and Harry’s been working hard helping out Zayn and Liam all morning getting things ready for the housewarming. “Hey, babe, can I help with anything?” Louis asks, sliding in beside him.

Harry smiles and leans down, seeking a kiss which Louis is happy to provide. “Nah, all good here. How’s Niall going with the BBQ?”

“Mmmm… yeah, nearly done I think,” Louis says as he moves behind Harry and wraps his arms around his waist, hooking his chin over his shoulder. “Are we tracking to plan with operation Shiall?”

“Yup! Shawn was due to get off work about an hour ago and said he’d be round in time for lunch.” Harry sprinkles a punnet of cherry tomatoes over the salad and drizzles some olive and balsamic vinegar on top to finish. “What do you think?”

“My talented chef,” Louis says and bites into Harry’s shoulder.

“Oi! It’s only me that gets to do the biting around here.”

“Promises, promises…” Louis teases, squeezing Harry’s waist one last time before flitting off to mingle with the guests.

He heads back out into the yard and finds Niall holding court by the BBQ, gesticulating wildly with his tongs and no doubt sharing tales of the human world. Niall has settled in brilliantly and Louis is so glad he decided to stay. He’s ensconced himself firmly into the ranks at the DoLaR, transforming his team and forever changing the way they handle human interactions, bringing his knowledge and adept problem-solving skills, as well as adding his good nature and humour into the mix. He’s an asset and one that the higher-ups are keen to retain.

While Niall is amazing at work, it’s his addition to their friend group that Louis enjoys the most. He’s kind and loyal and uproariously funny and Louis can’t imagine life without him; now they just have to find him a special someone, hence Operation Shiall. Shawn is a new colleague from Harry’s work at the institute and from the moment they met Harry was convinced Shawn and Niall would be perfect for each other. He’s a vampire and hot as fuck and it really is fortunate that Louis doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body and is unequivocally secure in his relationship with Harry, otherwise he might’ve hated the man on sight. But he is and he didn’t. Today is the day of the big first meeting and it’s a surprise to both Shawn and Niall, the other four men having been scheming in the background to make it happen.

Louis turns at the sound of his name being called out by Harry and sees him standing at the back door with Shawn by his side. Shawn is dressed in a gorgeous light pink silk shirt and olive green cargo pants, hair swooping up and a broad smile on his handsome face.

Harry and Shawn make their way out into the garden. Shawn’s holding two beers, one of which Louis suspects is for Niall, and Harry is carrying empty platters in both hands, presumably to use as an excuse for why Shawn had to carry Niall’s beer. Louis loves his clever boyfriend so much. 

“Aye up, Shawn, nice to see you again, mate,” Louis says with a wave.

“Yeah, you too, thanks for the invite, really appreciate you including me,” Shawn says brightly.

“Of course, we’re happy to have you, it can be hard to make friends when you’re new to an area.” Harry nudges Shawn with his shoulder. “Niall’s just there,” he says with a nod of his head. “Reckon the cook could do with that beer… hot work all this barbecuing.”

“Right, sure,” Shawn says as his eyes drift over and land on Niall. “Oh! Oh, okay, cool.”

Shawn walks over and stands to the side, not wanting to interrupt Niall’s story. Harry sets the platters down on the table and comes up behind Louis, wrapping his arms around Louis’ shoulders and kissing his neck.

“Think it’s going to work?” Louis asks quietly.

“Mhmmm… just watch,” Harry assures him, a hint of knowing in his voice.

Niall finishes his story and the group laughs loudly as he turns back to the BBQ to check on the steaks and sausages. When he notices Shawn, it’s like it all happens in slow motion. He looks up, then does a double-take, and drops his tongs, the metal utensil clattering to the wooden decking below. He bends and picks them up, eyes crawling up Shawn’s body until he’s standing, mouth agape, arms hanging limply by his side. Louis can’t hear what Shawn says but he watches as he holds out the beer and Niall takes it with a smile. They both wipe their free hands on their pants and then shake, holding on for far longer than a courteous greeting would warrant.

“Bam. Fireworks,” Harry whispers into Louis’ ear. They observe them for a few minutes, their body language saying more than words could ever convey. “Come on, our work is done,” Harry says finally.

“Nooooo…” Louis whines. “I wanna stay here and watch some more. They’re so cute.”

“Stop being a bloody voyeur, give them some space,” Harry chides good-naturedly.

“Fine,” Louis huffs out. They head back into the house and help Zayn and Liam with the rest of the food, carting it out onto the deck, ready for the guests.

The crowd descends and helps themselves to the ample buffet, finding spots on the deck and around the garden to settle in for the feast. Harry and Louis are sat opposite each other on two of the lounge chairs, plates resting on their knees as they tuck into their meals.

Louis looks up to see Niall approaching behind Harry, a finger on his lips to keep Louis quiet. He lays his hands on Harry’s shoulders and leans down to kiss the top of his head. Harry tilts his head backwards and smiles brightly when he sees who it is.

Niall takes his beloved  _ World’s Best Wingman _ snapback off his head. “I think you’ve earned this today, mate,” Niall says and places it on Harry’s head. It’s probably damp with sweat and all kinds of stinky but based on the beaming smile that spreads across Harry’s face, he couldn’t care less. “You’re a good egg, Hazza,” Niall says and pats Harry’s cheek.

“You too, Nialler,” Harry says fondly as Niall saunters back over to Shawn, his face lighting up like a beacon as he spots Niall coming closer. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Louis is suddenly overcome with how much he truly loves Harry, his kindness and willingness to do anything for anyone, always putting others before himself, and he feels tears of pure happiness begin to well up in his eyes. “I really do love you quite a lot, you know that, right?”

Harry smiles and nods. “Love you too, baby, forever and always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [ jacaranda-bloom ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/) and if you’d like to reblog my [ Tumblr fic post ](https://jacaranda-bloom.tumblr.com/post/188346914043/forever-and-always-by-jacaranda-bloom-written-as) that would be lovely!
> 
> If you enjoyed this work you can subscribe [ here ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacaranda_bloom/) to be notified when new works are posted!
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are very welcome. xx


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